Building Ninh Thuan into Regional Driving Tourist Centre

By proactively promoting its potentials and advantages and improving itself, the tourism industry of Ninh Thuan province has gradually established a new look: More attractive and more professional. In an interview given to Vietnam Business Forum Magazine, Mr Phan Quoc Anh, Director of Ninh Thuan Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “Ninh Thuan socioeconomic development planning from now to 2020, with vision to 2030, defines tourism as the second top priority industry behind clean energy. Ninh Thuan province is oriented to become a key tourism centre according to the national tourism development strategy from now to 2020 approved by the Prime Minister.” Minh Dao reports.

In the past years, the Party, the government and people of Ninh Thuan province have focused on attracting investment for socioeconomic development, in which tourism has been given much importance, particularly beach resorts. The province has paid heed to tourism development infrastructure. A lot of investment sources have been attracted for tourism service development. Tourism service quality has been improved a lot. Tourism facilities have created unique products and services for tourists. The State Budget has also spent a large sum of money to build traffic and transportation projects to link scenic coastal sites from Binh Tien to Ca Na. Many new service facilities have been put into operation. Especially, Cham pottery and brocade weaving, the Cham-Po Klongirai tower complex, historical and cultural relics, museums and monuments are given facelifts to turn Ninh Thuan province into an ideal destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

 

With local potential and advantages, the sincerity and hospitality of the people, plus the great support of the central government and the active cooperation of other provinces, the Ninh Thuan tourism industry has made an effort to achieve important accomplishments. In the 2006 - 2010 period, tourism revenues grew 22.8 percent a year; and tourist arrivals climbed 25 - 26 percent a year, satisfying the criteria of the 11^th.

 

Ninh Thuan province will focus on tapping local tourism potential and advantages, including sea-based tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism and tourism services, aiming to become a tourism centre in the nation and in the Southeast Asian region with unique tourism forms, high quality services, and diversified products. Accordingly, Ninh Thuan will develop the tourism industry in three directions. The province will invest to improve traffic and transportation infrastructure conditions to create smooth links via major traffic routes between tourist sites, particularly the 116-km coastal route from Binh Tien to Ca Na, and with Cam Ranh International Airport. It will train professional human resources for the tourism industry and build high-quality attractive tourist sites. It will also focus on combining local advantages and potential with modern tourism models.

 

Major tourism products will include high quality yachting service - the first of its kind in Vietnam, resorts and spas, development of grape wine discovery tours, air and water tourism services, ecological tourism, cultural tourism, and handicraft village discovery tours.

 

Ninh Thuan province’s tourism industry was developed later than other provinces, but this became an advantage because it could draw on their experiences to build high and stable growth. This advantage enabled the province to redefine its tourism development plan through 2020 and 2030. After two tourism investment promotion conferences held in October 2009 and December 2011, the province has made certain successes in tourism investment attraction.

 

The province has so far licensed 22 investment projects to develop high-grade tourism products and services. This is a very positive sign. These efforts, coupled with socioeconomic development programmes of other provinces and Ho Chi Minh City, and along with tourism companies inside and outside the province, are creating high-quality and professional tourism products.

 

The Ninh Thuan socioeconomic development plan in the 2011 - 2015 period set up a number of measures like continuing administrative reform, improving human resource quality, enhancing investment promotion programmes, holding talks between authorities and investors, investing in infrastructure and maintaining a high competitiveness index. Besides, the province regularly directs local authorities to coordinate with investors to accelerate land compensation, site clearance and resettlement formation.