In Thanh Hoa (Photo: VNA) Thanh Hoa (VNA) – The emergence ofCOVID-19 pandemic over the past nearly two years has taken toll on tourism of Vietnamand the central province of Thanh Hoa in particular, forcing localities,especially national tourism landmarks, to focus on domestic market rather than overseasone.
Thanh Hoa is seen as one of the localities with hugepotential of developing tourism on the back of its diverse and rich tourismresources, both natural and human.
Known as a "miniature Vietnam", Thanh Hoahas all kinds of terrain, from mountain, midland, to plain and coast, with manybeautiful landscapes and valuable historical – cultural vestiges. At the sametime, the province also has a system of infrastructure and technical facilitiesfor tourism that is constantly expanding, gradually improving quality,convenience and modernity.
Tourism products are more and more diverse, qualitywith civilised and polite services. Tourism human resources have been graduallystrengthened in both quantity and quality. To effectively tap such resources,Thanh Hoa has invested in and completed key infrastructure projects such as aroad linking Tho Xuan airport with Nghi Son Economic Zone, a road connectingmountainous districts in the west together, the National Highway 1A linkingwith Hai Tien, Hai Hoa, Ben En, Lam Kinh tourist areas.
In particular, the province renewedproducts-destinations via regularly holding tourism events such as sea tourism,light, love and flower festivals, street carnivals, inaugurated Hai Tien – Dao Newaterway route, a mural village, a pavement street and night market in Sam Son.
In recent years, Thanh Hoa has become one of the topcities and provinces in terms of tourism growth nationwide. During the2016-2019 period, the number of tourist arrivals in the province grew by 15.2 percentannually while tourism revenue rose by 31.7 percent year-on-year, contributingto local socio-economic development.
However, the uncertain developments of the pandemicover the past nearly two years has made it hard to achieve tourism growth targetsas expected. A number of inbound and outbound tourism stimulus plans andpolicies became infeasible. Therefore, focusing on intra-provincial tourismdevelopment is a necessary solution.
Experts suggested that Thanh Hoa should issue its owntourism stimulus policy, renew products to offer more experience to tourists inthe motto “better – newer- faster – cheaper”.
The province is creating its image as a safe, friendlyand attractive destination. Apart from tourism resources, infrastructure anddiverse products, difference is also a highlight, thus prompting visitors to travelto the locality.
Thanh Hoa has set a target of turning tourism into aspearhead economic sector by 2030.
Amid the difficulties posed byCOVID-19, the province welcomed 7.3 million visitors in 2020, earning 10.394trillion VND (over 453.6 million USD), representing 65.5 percent and 50.7percent of targets, respectively.
Local tourism sector has postedimpressive growth in recent years. However, its development is still notcommensurate with potential.
The north-central province’s SamSon beach is a familiar destination for many people. It is home to severalhidden charms waiting for tourists to explore, including Van Chai ancientfishing village. The village is busy at dawn as fishermen returning shore withcatches and those at home coming to help sort out the fish.
Sam Son town was promoted to a city in 2017, in amove which aims to meet the local urbanisation process and develop Sam Son intoa national tourist city.
In addition to the renowned Sam Sonbeach, Thanh Hoa is home to various charming others, namely Hai Tien in HoangHoa district; Tien Trang Quang Xuong in Quang Xuong district; Hai Hoa and HaiThanh in Tinh Gia; Bai Dong (the East Beach); Vinh Son; Quang Nham, and HaiBinh./.
