Central region welcomes upgrades to tourism stage

Central region welcomes upgrades to tourism stage

With help from a top summer festival, tourism has been a bright spot for the central coastal city of Danang. After a three-year suspension, the Danang International Fireworks Festival made a robust comeback, boosting the coastal city’s tourism numbers dramatically.

The total number of tourists in Danang in the first six months of 2023 is estimated at 3.5 million arrivals, up 116.6 per cent over the same period in 2022. Of which, international visitors are estimated at 930,000 visitors, an increase of 11.3 times over the same period; domestic tourists were estimated at 2.5 million, up 67.7 per cent over the same period.

The central region as a whole is looking to take advantage of its coastline for stellar marine economic development, including in tourism.

For example, Khanh Hoa province’s tourism sector has attracted many large-scale projects in Nha Trang city, north Cam Ranh Peninsula, and Van Phong Bay.

As of early 2023, north Cam Ranh Peninsula had attracted 40 projects, with registered capital of more than $1.2 billion. There were 16 large-scale and high-class hotels put into operation in the business of accommodation and entertainment services with over 9,500 rooms.

Meanwhile, Nha Trang has opened 64 luxury resorts and hotels, with more than 16,850 rooms and many high-class and large-scale entertainment areas such as Vinwonder Nha Trang, Hon Tam, and the mineral mud baths.

In the Van Phong area, infrastructure investment is being implemented to develop ecotourism resorts, golf courses, and isolated coastal tourism combined with sightseeing, experience tourism, high-class tourist areas, world-class tourist ports, and urban areas.

In the case of Quang Nam, home to the two world heritage sites of Hoi An and My Son Sanctuary, the province is a hotspot for both domestic and international tourists. It attracted more than 4.5 million tourists in the first six months of the year, double the same period last year.

Ho Quang Buu, Vice chairman of Quang Nam People’s Committee, said that the province’s aim was to develop tourism in association with environmental protection, marine life, and biodiversity protection. Although it had many advantages of tourism, the locality has not yet fully exploited this potential.

“For the tourism industry to develop further, a close connection between neighbouring provinces and cities in the region is also needed, as well investment in infrastructure and upgrading services,” Buu said.

Nguyen Tan Tuan, Chairman of Khanh Hoa People’s Committee, said that the locality aimed to increase tourism targets by 2030, with total revenue from tourists reaching $14.8 billion; the service sector contributing 55 per cent to the province’s regional GDP; drawing in 15.5 million guests, including eight million international visitors; maintaining average tourist growth of 5-10 per cent per year; and creating more than 250,000 jobs.

According to Tuan, Khanh Hoa aims to become a city directly under the central government by 2030, through promoting the advantages of the sea, and becoming a smart and sustainable city, with its own identity and international connectivity.

“The Vietnamese government’s action plan from 2022 allows Khanh Hoa to implement a number of specific policies, including encouraging and attracting investment in sea and island tourism, shipping services, and coastal urban areas. This is a new turning point in the development of services as well as sea and island tourism for Khanh Hoa,” he said.

According to Tuan, to realise the goal of becoming a service centre and coastal tourist centre, Khanh Hoa’s tourism sector still has to implement many ideas. In which, it is necessary to prioritise investment and take advantage of all resources to invest in and upgrade technical and social infrastructure, and encourage the development of new products.

Similar to other localities in the central region, Quang Binh province also has a unique landscape and is known for its cave system, creating outstanding conditions for local tourism development. This creates the foundation for the planning vision of Quang Binh to 2030, in which tourism is identified as a key economic sector in the local economic development.

Ho An Phong, Vice chairman of Quang Binh People’s Committee, said that with its potential and available advantages, Quang Binh will focus on boosting tourism to become a spearhead economic sector and promote economic and social development, as well as economic restructuring in association with community interests and sustainable development.

“The unique identity of Quang Binh tourism is to let people discover nature, cave tourism, cultural and historical tourism, sports tourism, and high-class resorts,” Phong said.

Although Khanh Hoa and Quang Binh have announced provincial planning towards 2030 and beyond for tourism development, Ninh Thuan, Danang, and Quang Ngai have yet to do so.

Central region propels fresh promotion for major ventures The central region and its localities are actively refreshing in order to have a new direction of attracting foreign funding flows more effectively.