Connecting tourism, creating momentum for development in the Mekong Delta region

In order to promote the tourism potential of the Mekong Delta to the northern provinces and cities, the Conference on promoting tourism in the Mekong Delta and Kien Giang in Hanoi took place on April 11.

The event is within the framework of the Vietnam International Tourism Fair - VITM Hanoi 2024, jointly organized by the Mekong Delta Tourism Association, the Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion of Kien Giang Province and the Department of Tourism of Kien Giang Province.

Speaking at the Conference, Vice Chairman of Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Luu Trung shared: "In 2024, Kien Giang, as the Head of the Cluster of Cooperation and Linkage for Tourism Development in the Western Mekong Delta, has closely coordinated with provinces and cities to develop practical cooperation content, close to the conditions of each locality. At the same time, organizing tourism activities and events is increasingly rhythmic, increasing efficiency in quality and quantity".

Connecting tourism, creating momentum for development in the Mekong Delta region photo 1

Vice Chairman of Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Luu Trung spoke at the Conference.

The Mekong Delta has a total area of about 40,577 km², with about 386 km of border. The whole region has 4 airports, including 2 international airports and 2 domestic airports. Notable among them is Phu Quoc International Airport. Having international border gates has created a favorable connection between the region and major markets such as Cambodia, Thailand....

This is also the only area of the country that borders the East Sea and the West Sea with a coastline of about 750 km. The whole region has nearly 200 islands and archipelagos. It is also close to international maritime and air routes between South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and other populations in the Pacific. It can be seen that the Mekong Delta plays a special role in the country's socio-economic development strategy, holding an important position in international exchange activities.

Through the Conference, provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta will introduce local tourism products and services, focusing on new, quality tourism products to attract visitors to experience. At the same time, it will create opportunities for businesses to meet, exchange and connect tourism routes with partners in the northern region.
Vice Chairman of Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Luu Trung

In 2023, the Mekong Delta has done well in promoting and advertising tourism, linking and cooperating, promoting innovation and building unique tourism products. The total number of tourists to the region last year reached 44.9 million, an increase of 20.4% over the same period in 2022. Compared to this time, the total revenue of the region also increased by 42.59%, reaching more than 45 trillion VND.

Assessing the potential of the region, Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism Dang Huong Giang said that the Mekong Delta is one of the 7 key tourism regions of the country with a rich and unique resource system, with many unique features associated with islands, rivers, gardens and floating markets. At the same time, this is also a place where ethnic cultures such as Kinh, Khmer, Cham... live together. Therefore, the region has soon formed a valuable and unique humanistic tourism resource system.

In the spirit of cooperation for mutual development, the Hanoi Department of Tourism has proactively exchanged information, coordinated promptly in management work and linked with the Mekong Delta Tourism Association. Accordingly, creating a playground to connect local travel businesses to jointly build a tourism route between the region and Hanoi city is considered very necessary.

“At the conference, provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta will introduce local tourism products and services, focusing on new, quality tourism products to attract visitors to experience. At the same time, it will create opportunities for businesses to meet, exchange and connect tourism routes with partners in the northern region,” added Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province Nguyen Luu Trung.

Promoting the theme of “Green transformation tourism for sustainable development”, VITM Hanoi 2024 is identified as a place for provinces and cities across the country to introduce and exchange tourism products.

2024 is also considered a pivotal year, comprehensively restoring the tourism industry after the Covid-19 pandemic and the year Vietnamese tourism promotes activities to attract international tourists in the context of the country needing to transform and quickly adapt to the general situation of world tourism.

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