Nghe An advised to fully tap potential for stronger tourism development

Nghe An (VNA) – Lying in the heart of the north central region and the East-West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam with the East Sea, Nghe An province has great advantages to develop tourism, heard a workshop in the province’s Cua Lo township on May 16.

Director of the provincial Department of Tourism Nguyen Manh Cuong said Nghe An province has a coastline of 82km with stunning beaches and more than 2,600 historical relic sites and natural landscapes. It is also home to six ethnic groups with unique cultures, he said.

The Western Biosphere Reserve of Nghe An was recognised by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve thanks to its rich flora and fauna, Cuong added.

The province aims to become one of the largest tourism centres in the north-central region by 2030, the official stressed.

To realise this goal, the tourism sector will build brand names for local tourism products and seek to draw investment projects in resort and ecological tourism development while connecting with the chain of products in the north-central and north-south central regions and other tourism centres at home and abroad, he revealed.

By 2020, Nghe An expects to lure over 5 million tourists, including 170,000 foreigners and gross 10 trillion VND (440.5 million USD) in revenues, contributing 5-6 percent to the province’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) and creating jobs for over 30,000 workers.

The tourism industry is hoped to become a spearhead economy of the province by 2030 with revenues contributing 9-10 percent to the GRDP, Cuong added.

To help Nghe An fully tap its tourism potential, participants at the workshop suggested the province encourage domestic and foreign businesses and economic sectors to invest in tourism infrastructure and human resources training.

As road travelling through Laos, Cambodia and Thailand has been developing in recent years, Nghe An should take advantage of the shared borderline with Laos to enhance connectivity and create diverse tourism products.

The peak of tourism in Nghe An often starts in April and ends in October annually. The province should promote various forms of tourism such as marine tourism, cultural tourism, historical tourism and spiritual tourism to attract more holidaymakers.

At the workshop, the provincial People’s Committee signed strategic cooperation agreements with Vietravel and Saigontourist, two of the leading tourism companies in the country.-VNA