Binh Thuan aims for sustainable and smart tourism

According to experts, Binh Thuan tourism is on the rise with many potentials and advantages of the land of "blue sea, white sand, and golden sunshine".

Mui Ne - Phan Thiet is recognized as one of the 10 outstanding tourist destinations in Vietnam, thanks to which Binh Thuan attracts a large number of tourists every year, with tourism revenue estimated at 11.3 trillion VND in 2023, an increase of 70% over the previous year. However, to maintain and develop Binh Thuan's tourism brand in the 4.0 era, the locality needs to transform, towards a smart and sustainable tourism in the future.

Nearly 30 years of building a tourism "fortune"

The total solar eclipse on October 24, 1995 became a major turning point for Binh Thuan tourism, especially Mui Ne. Thanks to its ideal location to observe this amazing natural phenomenon, Mui Ne attracted tens of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists, turning this place from a pristine beach into a famous destination on the global tourism map. At that time, there were only a few motels, but after the event, the tourism sector began to boom with many investors looking for business opportunities. And within just 10 years, in 2005, Ham Tien - Mui Ne tourist area was known as the "resort capital of Vietnam".

After Mui Ne - Phan Thiet was recognized as a national tourist area, in 2023, Binh Thuan tourism began to "rise" strongly with an average growth rate of about 31.3%/year, contributing significantly to the province's GRDP. The provincial tourism industry is expected to attract 9 million visitors by 2025 and 14 million visitors by 2030. Improvements in service quality and accommodation services have also attracted a large number of visitors, helping the province gradually become a key locality for tourism. In particular, high-end resort complexes are also being formed, contributing to improving the experience for visitors. Large tourism projects such as NovaWorld Phan Thiet not only enhance the attractiveness of the destination but also create many jobs for local people, contributing to promoting the socio-economic development of the province.

Mui Ne, Phan Thiet tourist area has received many positive reviews from international press and tourism experts. Recently, an international Farmtrip delegation surveyed Binh Thuan tourism products and services, coming from countries such as China, Germany and Australia. Representatives of the delegation expressed good impressions of Binh Thuan's natural resources, culture and people. They highly appreciated the tourism services and experiences at famous places such as Bau Trang and NovaWorld Phan Thiet, affirming that this is a place with great potential for tourism development. And recently, thanks to investment in transport infrastructure such as the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway and the upcoming Phan Thiet airport, traveling here will become easier, attracting a large number of international tourists.

Mui Ne is also ranked highly in several international tourism rankings. Recently, according to research by Bounce Accommodation Services Company, Mui Ne is one of the best beaches in Asia, ranked 9th in the list of 10 best beaches in the world, with a score of 5.84. The strengths of Mui Ne are the average hotel price of only 54.12 USD/night and the average water temperature of 26.5 degrees Celsius, along with a rich number of restaurants for visitors to choose from.

Towards sustainable and smart tourism

However, experts also warn of the limitations and problems of developing Binh Thuan tourism in the “old tradition”, “concretization, urbanization” of tourism, with many construction works encroaching on beach space and environmental problems with ineffective waste management. This shows the need to manage and develop Binh Thuan tourism in a sustainable and smart way, to boost tourist attraction.

For Binh Thuan tourism to develop sustainably, the tourism industry and local authorities need to implement a number of important solutions. First, the tourism industry should focus on diversifying tourism products and improving service quality to attract tourists to return and increase their length of stay. Focus on developing environmentally friendly tourism types, such as eco-tourism and rural tourism. Focus on ensuring food safety and hygiene at tourist service establishments. The tourism industry needs to have a plan to promote community and tourist education programs on environmental protection and friendly behavior. Local authorities need to step up environmental management, strengthen control and treatment of coastal waste and ocean waste.

Smart tourism is an emerging trend, combining information and communication technology into tourist destination management to improve service efficiency and visitor experience.

To develop smart tourism, Binh Thuan needs to implement digital transformation through a number of important solutions. First, it is necessary to build and develop a Smart Tourism Portal, which provides complete information about destinations, products and tourism services. This will be done in parallel with the application of information technology such as QR codes at tourist attractions, helping tourists easily access information using mobile devices. In addition, tourism businesses need to focus on investing in digital platforms such as e-commerce platforms and mobile applications for tourists. These applications should support customer experience and effectively manage tourism information.

Finally, to promote successful digital transformation, there needs to be strong investment in information technology infrastructure and training of human resources, helping them access and operate new technologies. All these efforts aim to turn Binh Thuan into an attractive and modern destination in the context of international tourism development.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/binh-thuan-huong-den-du-lich-ben-vung-va-thong-minh-124163.html