Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has emphasized the importance of tourism to the island district of Phu Quoc in southern Kien Giang province, saying that it will be a breakthrough for the district to develop its sea-based economy.

“Phu Quoc should fully tap the local favourable conditions such as clean environment, beautiful beaches and rich cultural and spiritual treasure to develop tourism,” the Party leader told the district’s officials during his working trip to the island on August 16-17.

He also suggested that the island district, with its convenient location and advantageous natural conditions, should invest in fisheries and aquaculture to serve both the domestic market and export.

According to General Secretary Trong, the most important tasks for the district as well as Kien Giang province in the immediate future are to strive for the goals set for the 2011-2015 period and to prepare for Party conferences at all levels. He said Party congresses provide good opportunities to review what have been done and what not during the past five-year tenure, which would serve as good foundation for defining the development strategy and guideline for the next five and even 10 years.

The Party chief urged the local authorities to continue its good work in carrying out the Party Central Committee’s Resolution 4 (11th tenure) on Party building and the Politburo’s Directive 03 on following the moral example of President Ho Chi Minh. He noted that only when the Party organisation is strong can it serve as the core of the national unity and fulfil its set targets.

Also during the visit, General Secretary Trong offered incense in tribute to revolutionaries who were killed in Phu Quoc prison. Nearly 40,000 revolutionaries were detained in the prison between 1967 and 1973, and one tenth of them died due to harsh living conditions and torture. The prison is now a national historical relic.

Phu Quoc district, an administrative unit of the southern province of Kien Giang, comprises 27 islands with Phu Quoc being the largest. A tourist hub in Kien Giang, Phu Quoc, dubbed the Paradise Pearl Island, has also earned reputation worldwide. It welcomed nearly 325,000 holidaymakers in the first seven months of this year.-VNA