Dong Thap diversifies its offers

Dong Thap diversifies its offers

According to its tourism development plan over the last few years, Dong Thap has focused on developing agricultural ecotourism and community-based tourism to increase the experience and enhance the capacity for businesses in sustainable development.

Dong Thap People’s Committee has approved 14 new community-based tourism areas in the province in 2021. For instance, Sa Dec city counts five most-visited spots, including the Thi Tho rose garden, Huong Que Ecological Garden, and Loi Xua Homestay. Meanwhile, two popular community-based tourism spots in Hong Ngu city are the Hoang Yen and Tu Lu homestays.

Other popular destinations that have been recognised include Homestay Hoang Anh in Tam Nong district, Coconut Garden in Tan Hong district, and Phu Binh Orchard in Chau Thanh district.

Pham Thien Nghia, Chairman of Dong Thap People’s Committee and head of the Steering Committee for Tourism Development of Dong Thap, said that tourism continues to be identified as an important economic sector, creating a driving force for local development. In addition to tapping into the available potential, the province’s tourism needs greater determination, Nghia says. Currently, Dong Thap is focusing on directing tourist accommodation establishments in the area to register and perform COVID-19 safety self-assessments under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“Dong Thap’s tourism has reaped fruitful achievements and needs to be nurtured to be more beautiful and luxurious than ever,” Nghia stressed.

In the past five years, Dong Thap’s tourism achieved impressive results as the number of visitors doubled, with revenues increasing thrice compared before the implementation of the province’s tourism development plan. As of 2019, Dong Thap welcomed 3.9 million visitors, with a turnover of $45.6 million.

It is expected that by 2025, Dong Thap will attract 5.2 million tourists, including 126,000 international tourists, representing an average growth of 5 per cent per year on total arrivals and a total revenue of $73.9 million, up 7 per cent per year.

To achieve this goal, the Mekong Delta province is strengthening cooperation and investment attraction for tourism development, while also improving facilities and the quality of existing tourism products.

Traffic routes leading to the province’s key tourist sites such as Go Thap, Xeo Quyt, and Gao Giong, as well as Tram Chim National Park, the Sa Dec flower village, and Phuong Nam are being upgraded. Focal products include ecotourism, agricultural tourism with traditional craft village experiences, cultural-festival tourism, culinary tourism, and MICE tourism, all of which are creating highlights for the province’s tourism industry.