On December 10, the People's Committee of Ca Mau province held a conference to summarize the "Tourism development cooperation program between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta in 2023".
Linking is inevitable
According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Luan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ca Mau province, the conference is an annual and rotating activity with the purpose of summarizing the results achieved in the linkage and cooperation in tourism development between localities. This is a key regional linkage program to create a common space for promoting, investing and developing tourism. Thereby contributing to creating momentum for socio-economic development of the Southern key economic region.
Emphasizing that cooperation and linkage have become an inevitable global trend, Mr. Nguyen Minh Luan said that tourism activities are not outside that orbit. To change the appearance and stimulate tourism development in Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta, it is necessary to identify linkage as a key task. In fact, Ho Chi Minh City and localities in the Mekong Delta have promoted tourism activities in a practical and effective manner to attract and create the best experience for visitors.
On the Ho Chi Minh City side, Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, said that the cooperation and linkage in developing tourism between Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta in the period of 2020 - 2030 is one of the city's key and breakthrough programs. This is also the first tourism cooperation program to be implemented with a wide scope and diverse linkage space, bringing many practical results, creating a spillover effect to other linkage regions in the country.
The Mekong Delta has many attractive destinations for tourism. Photo: NGOC TRINH
"The tourism development cooperation program between Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta has built a big brand to promote and advertise to domestic and international tourist markets. In addition, it also creates a common space for the community of tourism businesses, travel agencies, tourism services, tourism training facilities; combined with dual values and attractive tourism stimulus policies" - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism acknowledged.
Some activities of the tourism linkage program of 14 provinces and cities include organizing exhibition spaces, introducing and promoting tourism products; promoting the application and promotion of regional tourism brand identity.
Notably, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has coordinated with provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta to survey destinations and organize conferences to evaluate tourism programs linked to routes such as: the "Alluvial Roads" tourism route connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Can Tho, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau; the "Lovely Mountains and Rivers" tourism route connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh; the "Colors of the Border" tourism route connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang and Kien Giang.
Create a featured product
Besides the achieved results, the linkage program also encountered some difficulties that need to be resolved soon so that tourism in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta can "take off".
According to Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau province, there are still some activities that have not gone into depth and the effectiveness of the linkage is not high. Specifically, the development of tourism products has not been focused on; State management agencies as well as local enterprises have not clearly demonstrated their linkage role in the activities...
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hau Giang province, acknowledged that the linkage still lacks sustainability, although it has helped local tourism recover. Hau Giang province has made great efforts to promote but there are still not many investors in the tourism sector; most businesses are small and medium-sized, so they have not proactively sought markets, improved service quality, or created new tourism products to attract tourists.
Mr. Duong Anh Duc, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, assessed that tourism is a comprehensive economic sector and plays an important role. The development of tourism will contribute to introducing the image of the country and the cultural beauty of Vietnam to international friends. The tourism industry of Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta has achieved many positive results but there are still difficulties and challenges that need to be resolved.
"To develop tourism, localities need to build and create products with their own unique characteristics. Only when they can do that can they attract and satisfy tourists. Feeling the best service, tourists will not only come back but also introduce the destination to friends and relatives" - Mr. Duong Anh Duc acknowledged.
The Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee also said that the city is committed to supporting the provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta in introducing tourism products visually and effectively to visitors through the application of information technology.
Not yet fully exploited
Not only is the Mekong Delta the largest food production and export region and fruit orchard in Vietnam, it also has a dense river system and cultural exchanges between the Kinh, Hoa, Khmer and Cham ethnic groups. Therefore, this region has strengths in developing eco-tourism and exploiting cultural values. However, opinions at the conference all acknowledged that the Mekong Delta has not fully exploited its tourism strengths, and the exploitation efficiency has not been commensurate with its potential.
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