Nghe An tourism expects to "take off"

In 2024, Nghe An tourism welcomed more than 9.4 million visitors, with revenue reaching over VND 28,500 billion. To continue the development momentum, the province aims to elevate tourism to become a key economic sector in 2025.

To realize this goal, Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the end of March 2025 organized a dialogue conference with nearly 100 tourism businesses to discuss and propose development orientations for the industry in 2025.

Improve the quality of tourism products

Mr. Tran Xuan Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Nghe An, said that 2024 is a year of great efforts by the tourism industry of Nghe An province in recovering and promoting sustainable growth.

With a strategic vision, right from the beginning of the year, Nghe An issued a comprehensive tourism development plan, creating the premise for a series of synchronous solutions to be effectively implemented.

These efforts are not only aimed at restarting the industry after the challenges but also towards making tourism one of the important economic pillars of the locality.

Dialogue conference with tourism businesses to discuss industry development orientation in 2025.

Specifically, the province has actively organized field survey programs, built regional linkages, and promoted destination image promotion through various channels.

Domestic tourism stimulus campaigns have been creatively implemented, in parallel with the gradual recovery of the international market. Impressive results are clear evidence, in 2024 Nghe An welcomed up to 9.45 million tourists, an increase of 13% compared to 2023.

Of which, the number of overnight guests reached 5.93 million, while the number of international visitors recorded 120,500, a sharp increase of 55%.

Total revenue from tourists is estimated at VND28,569 billion, with direct revenue from tourism services of about VND11,160 billion, showing the growing attraction of this land rich in cultural traditions and majestic nature.

To achieve these impressive numbers, Nghe An has constantly innovated in promotion and advertising work.

In addition, the province also focuses on developing new tourism products with strong local identity such as coastal fishing village tourism, exploring traditional craft villages, rural tourism or experiencing night tourism.

Tourists visit Uncle Ho's hometown

Tourism infrastructure is also heavily invested to meet the increasing needs of tourists.

The province currently has 960 accommodation establishments with more than 22,000 rooms, including 4 5-star hotels. This is a testament to the remarkable development in service quality, contributing to enhancing the experience for domestic and foreign tourists.

Not stopping there, Nghe An tourism industry is also a pioneer in digital transformation to keep up with modern trends.

The provincial tourism portal and smart tourism application have been put into operation, providing quick and convenient information about destinations, services and events.

At the same time, the province organized a series of specialized training courses and skills competitions for tourism human resources, from tour guides, chefs to hotel staff.

These activities not only improve skills but also arouse creativity and responsibility of tourism workers, contributing to building a friendly and professional image of Nghe An in the eyes of tourists.

Many difficulties and challenges

Despite significant progress, Nghe An's tourism industry still faces many challenges that need to be resolved.

The progress of implementing some key tourism projects is still sluggish, high-quality human resources have not met the demand, and the recovery of international tourist flows has not really broken through as expected.

Statistics from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Nghe An show that in 2024, the number of international visitors will only reach about 100,000, much lower than the figure of 150,000 set by the province earlier.

Community tourism in the Western Nghe An region attracts tourists, however, tourist attractions still lack facilities.

The reasons cited include a lack of strategic investors with long-term vision, along with economic and political fluctuations.

At the conference on tourism development in Nghe An, businesses frankly expressed their views that local tourism still lacks a distinctive “mark”. Current products such as Cua Lo beach tourism or visiting Uncle Ho’s hometown, although having certain appeal, are still monotonous, lacking breakthroughs and differences.

A travel agency shared: “We take tourists to Cua Lo, but they only stay for one day and then leave because there are no more attractive activities.”

To overcome this, many opinions suggest that the province needs to invest heavily in eco-tourism such as developing resorts in Pu Mat National Park, promoting community tourism in traditional craft villages, and exploiting more deeply indigenous cultural values ​​such as Vi Giam folk songs - an intangible heritage recognized by UNESCO.

Folk song performance for tourists on a tour along Lam River.

Tourism infrastructure is also a frequently mentioned “bottleneck”. Businesses report that transportation to tourist destinations is difficult, roads are narrow, and there is a lack of clear signs.

Waterway tourism, a great potential on the poetic Lam River, has not yet developed due to the lack of docks and modern facilities. A travel company in Vinh said: “We used to organize boat tours on the Lam River, but there were no standard docks, so tourists had to climb down to the riverbank, which was very inconvenient.”

In addition, the lack of large-scale entertainment areas also causes the average length of stay of tourists in Nghe An to be only about 1.5 days, much lower than other tourist destinations.

The problem of tourism human resources becomes more difficult when both the quantity and quality of labor do not meet the requirements.

According to a report by the Nghe An Tourism Association, the province currently lacks skilled personnel, especially foreign language-proficient tour guides and high-quality service staff serving international visitors.

Cua Lo Beach Tourism Festival 2025 is expected to open on April 19 with many new and unique activities.

Many opinions suggest the need to develop specialized training programs, cooperate with international universities, and improve policies to support businesses in recruiting and retaining talent.

In addition, businesses also recommended that state management agencies continue to reform administrative procedures to create a more favorable business environment.

Tax and land policies also need to be adjusted to reduce the burden on businesses, especially large tourism projects.

At the same time, promoting Nghe An tourism on digital platforms such as TikTok, Instagram or at international fairs needs to be promoted to attract visitors from key markets such as Korea, Japan, and Europe.

Discussing this issue, Ms. Tran Thi My Hanh, Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that she had acknowledged the enthusiastic opinions of businesses.

The Department pledged to direct relevant units to advise on support policies and report to the Provincial People's Committee to remove difficulties, focusing on issues such as simplifying procedures for welcoming international guests, supporting promotion, and improving the quality of human resource training.

Ms. Hanh also called on the Nghe An Tourism Association to act as a more effective bridge between businesses and the government, encouraging the development of new products such as Lam River cruise tours or cultural experiences in Western Nghe An.

At the same time, it emphasizes the need for cooperation between accommodation, travel and service businesses to create sustainable value chains, from preferential pricing policies to participating in famtrip groups to promote destinations.

With the goal of making tourism a key economic sector by 2030, Nghe An plans to welcome 6.1 million overnight guests in 2025, including 130,000 international visitors, and achieve revenue of VND11,800 billion.

The province will prioritize developing key products such as sea tourism, cultural and historical tourism, promoting digital transformation in management and promotion, and strengthening links with localities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces of Laos and Thailand.

With clear orientation and high determination, Nghe An tourism is expected to "take off" to become a bright spot, making an important contribution to the socio-economic development of the province in 2025 and the following years.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/du-lich-nghe-an-ky-vong-chuyen-minh-cat-canh-20250401145257351.htm