The Mekong Delta welcomed 2.2 million tourists and earned over 508 billion VND (24.2 million USD) in the first month of 2015 according to the provincial Tourism Association.

The region expects to see 25.4 million tourists this year, 2.7 million of which will be foreign visitors, an 11.3 percent increase from 2014.

To reach their target, regional provinces have collaborated to establish tourism promotion centres, diversify products, and improve service quality. Private businesses have also been encouraged to invest in tourism infrastructure initiatives.

Local high-quality specialties should be strengthened, including fruit, traditional confectionary products, palm sugar, and fish sauce.

The sector should also focus on enhancing labour training and expanding traditional ethnic festivals of the Kinh, Khmer, and Chinese, as well as opening additional high-quality tours and tourism complexes.

Notably, the Mekong Delta will develop a tourism chain combining waterway tourism, eco-tourism, and trade villages.

In addition, provinces will intensify cooperation with other countries in the Mekong River Sub region to expand its popularity in the Southeast Asian market as well as maintaining Northeast Asian, Western European, and North American markets.

Looking forward, the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region has collaborated with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the People’s Committee of Can Tho to organise an international tourism festival from April 26 - May 2, 2015.

The event is expected to attract representatives from tourism sectors nationwide and internationally, including Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.-VNA