Mekong Delta localities see signs of tourism recovery

Tourists on Phu Quoc Island. (Photo: Vietravel)

Kien Giang – The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has seen a rebound in domestic tourism and the number of visitors is expected to rise during the upcoming New Year and Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays.

Kien Giang welcomed nearly 400,000 domestic visitors in November, a 26 percent increase from October, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

Deputy director of the department Nguyen Chi Thanh said the province has pushed ahead with a tourism stimulus programme and COVID-19 preventive measures to restore travel confidence and demand.

Travel firms are now focusing on quality of travel products and services, and offering a wide range of promotions and discounts to boost domestic travel, he said.

Phu Quoc Island was chosen as the first destination to kick-start the national tourism stimulus programme launched by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism on November 22.

In the first 10 months of the year, the island received 2.9 million visitors, and it expects the number to top 3 million for the full year.

Can Tho has launched its own tourism stimulus programme between November and January with a number of discounts on lodging, food, entertainment, and transportation.

Tourism authorities encourage travel firms to offer discounts on tour packages to attract customers.

Around 60 businesses have registered to join the stimulus programme with tour packages and services discounted by 10-60 percent.

In the first 10 months the city received more than 3.5 million visitors, a 53 percent drop year-on-year.

It is expected that promotions and stimulus efforts would push the total number of tourists to more than 5.6 million this year.

Ben Tre and Tra Vinh provinces have promoted travel linkages and introduced new tour routes between themselves.

The linkages are aimed at developing travel products that offer unique cultural, food and natural experiences.

Other provinces in the delta like An Giang and Bac Lieu recently launched stimulus programmes to attract tourists during the upcoming year-end holidays.