Phu Quoc island hosted a workshop on January 29 to discuss tourismcooperation between An Giang and Kien Giang provinces and Can Tho city.
RobertTravers, a foreign expert on Destination Development and Management ofthe EU-ESRT Programme, said a key challenge is the chronically shortlength of stay (just one night), with Vietnam being seen as an excursionor add-on destination rather than a leisure destination in its ownright.
To address this, tourism businesses and the Governmentshould come together to adopt a market-led approach, targeting longerstaying visitor segments in the domestic and international markets, hesaid.
The experts attending the workshop suggested that theindustry and Government should work more closely together in the MekongDelta to create tourism hubs of excellence that can offer uniqueexperience.
They said the delta needs to be different from otherparts of Vietnam, warning that at the moment the thrust of developmentis making it like everywhere else.
They suggested that qualityriverside resorts and lodges, expanded water-based options, betterorchards and agro-tourism visits, and higher quality homestay are neededto enhance the Mekong tourism products.
The workshop was held toprovide technical support from the EU-ESRT following a High levelmeeting on tourism cooperation between the three Mekong Deltadestinations held in Rach Gia, Kien Giang province, last October.
Atthe event, representatives of the three localities signed a memorandumof understanding for cooperation to develop tourism in the region.
Toenhance product competitiveness and public-private dialogue, theEU-ESRT initiated and supported Destination Management Organisations ineight north-western provinces, three central coastal provinces and threeMekong Delta localities.
The workshop was chaired by the VietnamNational Administration of Tourism with technical support from theEU-funded Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism CapacityDevelopment Programne (known as the EU-ESRT Programme).
Theworkshop was seen as an opportunity for the EU-ESRT Programme to reportabout the results obtained by a team of international and domesticexperts who recently visited the three Mekong localities.
Their aim was to study and support development of tourism products and make destination promotion plans.
Theworkshop was attended by 50 delegates from the Ministry of Culture,Sports and Tourism, the VNAT, the European Union Delegation to Vietnam,tourism administrators from the three localities, and tourism collegesand operators in the region.-VNA
RobertTravers, a foreign expert on Destination Development and Management ofthe EU-ESRT Programme, said a key challenge is the chronically shortlength of stay (just one night), with Vietnam being seen as an excursionor add-on destination rather than a leisure destination in its ownright.
To address this, tourism businesses and the Governmentshould come together to adopt a market-led approach, targeting longerstaying visitor segments in the domestic and international markets, hesaid.
The experts attending the workshop suggested that theindustry and Government should work more closely together in the MekongDelta to create tourism hubs of excellence that can offer uniqueexperience.
They said the delta needs to be different from otherparts of Vietnam, warning that at the moment the thrust of developmentis making it like everywhere else.
They suggested that qualityriverside resorts and lodges, expanded water-based options, betterorchards and agro-tourism visits, and higher quality homestay are neededto enhance the Mekong tourism products.
The workshop was held toprovide technical support from the EU-ESRT following a High levelmeeting on tourism cooperation between the three Mekong Deltadestinations held in Rach Gia, Kien Giang province, last October.
Atthe event, representatives of the three localities signed a memorandumof understanding for cooperation to develop tourism in the region.
Toenhance product competitiveness and public-private dialogue, theEU-ESRT initiated and supported Destination Management Organisations ineight north-western provinces, three central coastal provinces and threeMekong Delta localities.
The workshop was chaired by the VietnamNational Administration of Tourism with technical support from theEU-funded Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism CapacityDevelopment Programne (known as the EU-ESRT Programme).
Theworkshop was seen as an opportunity for the EU-ESRT Programme to reportabout the results obtained by a team of international and domesticexperts who recently visited the three Mekong localities.
Their aim was to study and support development of tourism products and make destination promotion plans.
Theworkshop was attended by 50 delegates from the Ministry of Culture,Sports and Tourism, the VNAT, the European Union Delegation to Vietnam,tourism administrators from the three localities, and tourism collegesand operators in the region.-VNA
