At the workshop “Developing river tourism in Vietnam - Orientation and solutions” organized by the Institute for Tourism Development Research (ITDR) on September 18, the reasons why river tourism in Vietnam has not developed commensurate with its potential were clearly pointed out.
According to Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan - Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, one of the biggest barriers to the development of river tourism in many localities today is the poor waterway transport infrastructure. Many river routes have not been properly invested, causing difficulties in travel and tourism exploitation. In the Mekong Delta, many river sections have not been dredged, leading to sedimentation, affecting the circulation of tourist vehicles.
In addition, river tourism is not only “on the river” but also needs to be linked to tourist attractions along the entire route. However, the lack of tourist piers, the lack of investment in connecting traffic from the river piers to tourist attractions, the lack of services at tourist attractions, and the undeveloped landscape on both sides of the river in many places make the exploitation of river tourism face many disadvantages.
Currently, river tourism in Vietnam still lacks a comprehensive and long-term development strategy. Tourism activities are often spontaneous, fragmented, and lack linkages between localities, leading to ineffective exploitation, poor services, and reduced attractiveness to tourists. Environmental pollution in some river areas not only reduces the value of the landscape but also makes it difficult to develop tourism.
It is worth noting that localities lack connectivity in developing river tourism. River tourism routes on the Mekong River or the Red River can become attractive products for domestic and foreign tourists. However, because each locality has its own development strategy, the lack of cooperation and information sharing between provinces and cities has led to many limitations in building attractive inter-regional tourism products. Current tours often stop at exploring a locality, without fully exploiting the potential of a large area. This reduces the attractiveness of river tourism for tourists who want to experience cultural diversity and natural landscapes.
Promotion, advertising and branding for Vietnam's river tourism are still limited. Currently, river tourism in Vietnam has not developed strongly, partly due to weak promotion and advertising, which limits the ability to attract tourists and makes it difficult to compete with other types of tourism. In addition, Vietnam's river tourism has not yet built a brand and widespread recognition in the international market, reducing its competitiveness with other famous river tourism destinations in the region such as Thailand and Cambodia.
Need to tell a compelling story about the river
Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan believes that each river in Vietnam has its own historical stories, cultural values and ecosystems. Developing unique tourism products based on these values will create a difference and attract tourists. Tours can combine visiting historical and cultural sites along the river, experiencing traditional festivals such as boat racing, boat racing... or participating in traditional agricultural activities in riverside villages.
To attract tourists to experience river tourism products, Dr. Tran Diem Hang - Head of the Faculty of Tourism, Hoa Binh University, said that building a unique and impressive Vietnamese river tourism brand is extremely important. It is necessary to create a tourism image associated with Vietnamese culture, nature and people. Telling attractive stories about rivers, destinations, and unique experiences will help tourists visualize more clearly what they will discover. In addition, it is necessary to regularly organize tourism events, festivals, and cultural events on the river to attract tourists. Cooperating with travel companies to build attractive river tour packages is also an activity that needs attention.
One of the successful models of exploiting river tourism is the Nho Que River (Ha Giang). Previously, boats traveling on the Nho Que River were basically just a form of transportation to transport passengers and goods from one point to another. However, the local government saw the potential for tourism development because the riverside landscape of Ha Giang has an unusual beauty and attraction; then they piloted the first product, the Nho Que River section below Ma Pi Leng Pass.
Ha Giang Province has organized a boat tour on Nho Que River for visitors to admire the majestic scenery of Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark, sitting on a boat gliding on the river at an altitude of more than 1,000m above sea level in the middle of the rocky highlands. Visitors can also see the biodiversity, primeval forests on rocks and many types of flora and fauna such as golden monkeys and many other birds and animals.
"The leaders of Ha Giang province at all levels and tourism units in Ha Giang all aspire to develop sustainable tourism to contribute to changing the face of Ha Giang's mountainous countryside and directly improving the lives of ethnic minorities. After implementing the tour on Nho Que River, the economic and social results far exceeded the expectations of the local authorities and people. Specifically, with 51 boats operating to transport tourists in 2023, they earned 33 billion VND. In 2023, Ha Giang welcomed more than 3 million tourists, of which perhaps more than 2 million tourists wanted to experience and some of them were able to take a boat trip on Nho Que River, which is a great victory for Ha Giang's tourism industry", said Mr. Lai Quoc Tinh - Chairman of Ha Giang Tourism Association.
VOV.VN - Many Vietnamese tourists choose travel services based on recommendations and reviews from content creators on social media, or use social media to plan their trips. However, many destinations in Vietnam still have a weak presence on online platforms.
Source: https://vov.vn/du-lich/tu-van/viet-nam-thieu-cau-chuyen-hap-dan-ve-cac-dong-song-de-khai-thac-du-lich-post1122350.vov
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