Thai Nguyen Unlocking Tourism Potential

3:51:31 PM | 7/6/2017

Actively tapping cultural and tourism advantages to create momentum for hospitality development to add prosperity to the land of tea is a leading development approach of the tourism sector of Thai Nguyen province in the coming time, Mr Pham Thai Hanh, Director of the Thai Nguyen Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said in an interview granted to Vietnam Business Forum. Ngo San reports.

Would you tell us the tourism sector's achievements in 2016 and its development directions in 2017?
In 2016, the tourism sector focused on advising the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council and the Provincial People’s Committee on local tourism development. In particular, it drafted the excellent tourism development plan for Nui Coc Lake National Park approved by the Prime Minister, effectively invested and operated many tourist sites to diversify local tourism product, for example, Tan Cuong tea region in Thai Nguyen City, ecological tourism in Thai Hai stilt house conservation area, Ban Quyen ethnic cultural village of the Tay people, Dung Tan trade and tourism centre, Thien Tay Truc Pagoda historical site and urban areas along the two banks of the Cau River. The sector stepped up tourism communications on mass media, trained tourism human resources and upgraded synchronous tourism infrastructure.

With the above efforts, Thai Nguyen welcomed 2.06 million tourists, including 66,886 foreigners in 2016. Tourism revenue grossed VND250 billion.

In 2017 and subsequent years, Thai Nguyen province will carry out the master plan for local tourism development to 2030 to meet tourism development requirements; build and complete cultural, sporting and tourism development plans to 2020; plan overall construction, preservation, restoration and promotion of historical heritage values in wartime Dinh Hoa Safe Zone - a special national historical site - in association with tourism development to 2030; submit to the Prime Minister for approval and execution of the master plan for development of Nui Coc Lake National Tourism Site in Thai Nguyen province to 2030, as approved by the Prime Minister; continue to invest in improving tourism infrastructure systems like electricity, water supply, waste treatment, telecommunication, finance, banking, healthcare and sanitation facilities in key tourist spots in Thai Nguyen province to meet tourists’ needs; diversify and improve the quality of tourism products, focus on developing two types of tourism - ecotourism and convalescence - in Nui Coc Lake Tourist Site associated with the tangible and intangible cultural values of Tan Cuong specialty tea of Thai Nguyen City, and developing travel tours to the roots in wartime Dinh Hoa Safe Zone associated with the tangible and intangible cultural values of local ethnic groups.

On November 18, 2016, the Prime Minister signed Decision 2228/QD-TTg approving the development plan for Nui Coc Lake National Park. Accordingly, the core area covering 1,200 ha will be developed into a national tourist site. How has this affected the provincial tourism development plan?
The investment for Nui Coc Lake National Tourism Site Project is necessary and timely. This represents the province’s strategic vision in socio-economic development because it is a very important project, aimed not only to unlock tourism potential and advantages, but also to support the socio-economic development of Thai Nguyen province in particular and the northern midland and mountainous region at large. It matches the overall plan as well as the development plan for Nui Coc Lake Tourism Site which is aimed to become a national tourism destination.

The investment objective of the project is to connect Nui Coc Lake National Tourism Site with Dinh Hoa Safe Zone relic sites, Tan Trao historical site (Tuyen Quang province) and Ba Be Lake Tourist Site (Bac Kan province) to shape an important link in ecological, cultural, spiritual and historical tourism chains with Hanoi City and northern provinces, create national and international tourism complexes and move one step towards proposing that UNESCO recognise the site as a World Natural Heritage. This project not only helps protect and improve the landscape and environment, promote locally distinctive tourism features and products, resolve spiritual needs and protect national identity, but also significantly helps create jobs, increase incomes for workers, and add to local budget revenues.

How do you assess the progress and outcome of public administration reform after nearly one year of executing Plan 61/KH-UBND on enforcement of Resolution 35/NQ-CP of the Government dated May 16, 2016?
After nearly one year of implementing Plan 61/KH-UBND in carrying out Resolution 35/NQ-CP of the Government dated May 16, 2016, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism achieved certain results as follows:

The administrative procedure reform continued to be accelerated by the department, with a focus placed on carrying out tasks and solutions of advising on reducing administrative procedures, improving the business environment to create favourable conditions for enterprises, and enhancing national competitiveness as stipulated in Resolution 19-2016/NQ-CP; control administrative procedures in 2016; and improving the performance of the one-place single-window mechanism for administrative procedures.

In 2016, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism was directed and authorised by the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council and the Provincial People’s Committee to carry out the task of modernising the one-stop single-window units in charge of receiving and returning results of settling administrative procedures and providing online public services for procedures assigned Levels 2, 3 and 4. The modern single-window system and the one-stop single-window system was uniformly deployed under the e-government architecture. Starting on March 6, 2017, the department officially applied the modern single-window mechanism and one-stop single-window mechanism with the one-stop software and public services assigned Levels 1, 2 and 3 at the reception and result return units. Working around the clock, the system will help the department to improve public service quality, receive and handle administrative documents and publicise the current status of such procedures.

To build a professional and modern administration, the deployment of a modern electronic single-window system, concurrently in line with the public service system (Levels 1,2,3 and 3) based on the e-government architecture, has brought in practical effects and contributions to the cause of doi moi (renovation) of the Party and the State. Building a government and administration of integrity, facilitation and action, raising the human development index, enhancing labour productivity, national competitiveness and local competitiveness were also important tasks.

After nearly one year of executing Plan 61/KH-UBND enforcing Resolution 35/ NQ-CP of the Government, the department has received no feedback, recommendations and complaints from any organisations and individual in the course of handling administrative procedures.