At the meeting, Duong Thanh Trung, chairman of the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu People’s Committee said that despite its high potential, tourism in the Mekong Delta region had not developed well, resulting in a lack of high-quality tourism centres and the provision of substandard tourism products.
Doan Tan Buu, vice chairman of Dong Thap Province People's Committee, agreed, saying that Mekong Delta tourism had not focused on building specific products and attractive destinations.
Tourists in Ca Mau Province
Last year, the Mekong Delta region lured 40 million tourists, including 3.7 million foreigners, up 20% on-year. In the first ten months of this year, the foreign tourists to the region reached 5.5 million, a sharp increase on-year.
However, the figure remains modest compared to the neighbouring regional cities such as Bangkok which served up to 22 million foreign travellers in 2018.
HCM City People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said HCM City had strengths in Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE); shopping and entertainment services; while Mekong Delta localities own ecotourism, horticulture, and river and islands advantages. So, it was necessary for HCM City and the Mekong Delta to boost co-operation in tourism development.
HCM City People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong at the meeting
“Tourists can come to Ben Tre Province to enjoy local coconut-made specialities or they can enjoy Pia Cake in Soc Trang or drink lotus tea in Dong Thap and then go to HCM City for shopping,” Phong added.
According to Phong, this year, HCM City and the Mekong Delta region need to prioritise infrastructure projects, particularly waterway transport, and speeding up Long Thanh International Airport project.
It is also important for localities to intensify their tourism promotion campaigns and assist local residents in tourism development to ensure that each of them to act as a tourism ambassador.
Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee emphasised the necessity to serve diverse tourist demands. HCM City cannot meet all demands alone as the city does not have ecotourism. So the southern metropolis needed to join hands with the Mekong Delta to provide more attractive tourism products.
Earlier, Nguyen Dong Hoa, Deputy Director General of the HCM City-based Saigontourist Holding Company – an operator of many trans-locality tours, said about 70% of the firm’s foreign visitors to HCM City said they wanted to continue their trips on to the Mekong Delta.
On this occasion, HCM City and the Mekong Delta also signed a deal for the tourism development co-operation in the 2020-2025 period.
