The enhancement of capitalising on values of the agricultural sector to create high-quality and competitive tourism products is an inevitable trend, said Nguyen Quy Phuong – Director of the Travel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.


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Vineyards in the south central province of Ninh Thuan have become a tourism product 



He made the remark at a workshop on agri-tourism in Hanoi on March 30. The event was part of the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2018.

Phuong said tourism and agriculture are two spearhead sectors that the Party and State prioritise in the country’s socio-economic development orientation. In the time ahead, the policies on new-style rural area building and high-quality agriculture development will be favourable conditions for tourism to develop.

Over the past time, a number of organisations and individuals in many localities have made use of agricultural factors to develop tourism. Many tourism products imbued with agricultural identities of regions from the north to the south have been created, meeting tourists’ demand.

He noted some outstanding tours, including the tour in the rice harvest period in Duong Lam of Hanoi; the tours of Tra Que vegetable village, Thanh Ha pottery village and Cu Lao Cham fishing village in Hoi An of central Quang Nam province; or trips to orchards and floating markets in Can Tho, Vinh Long and Tien Giang in the Mekong Delta.

At the workshop, many participants said agri-tourism brought economic and social benefits to many localities and businesses. Some localities and travel companies reported that the number of tourists engaging in agricultural activities has been on the rise. Meanwhile, agri-tourism activities have become a stable source of income for local farmers and businesses.

However, they noted, despite the considerable potential for agri-tourism, agri-tourism activities in Vietnam remain unprofessional. Local agricultural and cultural values haven’t been studied methodologically to create high-quality tourism products. Many agri-tourism models still mainly depend on the natural environment and haven’t been renewed, making them no long attractive to travellers.

Participants added to boost agri-tourism, the tourism and agriculture sectors need to coordinate to build a national programme on agri-tourism associated with building new-style rural areas. Relevant parties should also strengthen the connectivity among farmers, travel firms, local authorities, and tourism management agencies to introduce more high-quality and professional agri-tourism products.

Ninh Thuan aims to become exciting destination


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A corner of south central coastal province of Ninh Thuan 



The south central coastal province of Ninh Thuan will continue to offer more incentives for tourism investment in order to make the province a safe, friendly and exciting destination to visit.

The statement was made by Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ninh Thuan province Luu Xuan Vinh at a conference held in Hanoi on March 30 to introduce and promote local tourism potential, cultural values, famous landscapes and typical tourism products.

The conference also created a platform for tourism investors and travel agents to meet and seek new investment and cooperation opportunities in the province.

“Ninh Thuan has many conditions to develop tourism and the facts have shown that in the past five years,” said Vinh.

“The number of tourists and tourism revenue of the region have kept increasing, particular during weekend and holidays.”

Last year, the number of visitors to the province reached 1.9 million, a rise of about 11 per cent. Tourism revenue increased around 18 per cent in comparison with the same period in 2016.

He added the province will continue to enhance the environment for tourism investment, reform the administrative procedures, direct the relevant organisations to offer best conditions for investors in order to fully exploit the local tourism potentials.

“The tourism development of Ninh Thuan province will follow the motto: modest, impressive and stable,” the chairman added.

“Besides preserving the untouched natural features created by the typical climate of the region, the province will also continue programmes of promoting its tourism to the world.”

At the event, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien praised the province’s efforts in developing the socio-economy in general and in particular, tourism.

He suggested the province should focus on strategic resources, actively improve the tourism cooperation and attach cultural heritage preservation with tourism exploitation.

He also said the province should appeal more film producers in order to create “cinematic effects” similar to what Hollywood blockbuster Kong: Skull Island has done to Ninh Binh province’s tourism.

On the same day, authorities and tourism promotion centres of Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An amd Phu Yen provinces held a conference to promote tourism. 


VNA