Tourism Developed into Key Economic Sector

Tourism development, coupled with service quality improvement, aimed to build tourism into a key economic sector, is a long-term approach for Bac Ninh province. Our reporter has an exclusive interview with Mr. Nguyen Van Anh, Deputy Director of the Bac Ninh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, on this topic. Nguyet Tham reports.

What solutions and activities has the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism advised and executed in the past time to develop tourism into a key economic sector?

Seeing the importance of tourism in socioeconomic development, over the past time, Bac Ninh introduced many guidelines and policies to promote geographical advantages and cultural and historical values for local tourism development. The Provincial People’s Committee adopted and directed the good implementation of Bac Ninh Tourism Development Plan to 2020, with a vision to 2030. The Bac Ninh Provincial Party Committee issued many specific action programs on tourism development into a key economic sector.

To revitalize cultural tourism, one of the main product lines, many mechanisms and policies on cultural heritage conservation were issued, especially Decision 40/2015/QD-UBND dated December 20, 2015 of the Provincial People’s Committee on regulations on assessment and awarding of intangible cultural heritage artisans in Bac Ninh province. The province's timely remuneration is a great source of encouragement for “living human treasures” in the cause of transmitting cultural heritages to younger generations.

The province paid attention to funding the restoration of degraded and ruined relics; mobilized social resources to restore and upgrade vestiges such as Bac Ninh Literature Temple, Dau Pagoda, Phat Tich Temple, Kinh Duong Vuong Mausoleum and Temple, Le Van Thinh Temple, Nguyen Van Cu Monument, Ngo Gia Tu Monument and Hoang Quoc Viet Memorials.

For intangible cultural heritages, the Bac Ninh Provincial People’s Committee approved and directed the implementation of the project conserving and promoting the intangible cultural heritage value of Quan Ho folk songs of Bac Ninh and Ca Tru signing of Bac Ninh province in 2013-2020 according to UNESCO commitments, and the project on preserving and promoting folk performing arts in 2013-2020. In addition to original Quan Ho villages, the Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs have been developed to over 300 Quan Ho villages. Quan Ho singing clubs are growing in number and always ready to serve tourists near and far. Quan Ho singing teaching comes in various forms like oral transmission by artists, clubs and schools. A lot of traditional festivals were restored, maintained and organized to meet local people’s needs. Many festivals have become annual meeting places for tourists from far and wide, for example Lim Festival, Do Temple Festival and Phat Tich Temple Festival.

The rapid process of local industrialization and urbanization posed new requirements and tasks around ecological environment and cultural identity. How do you approach this issue?

We pay special attention to the environment and integrate environmental protection solutions right from the process of making decisions on socioeconomic development and concretizing environment-friendly economic restructuring and green growth pattern; build endogenous capacity to use and develop technologies to save resources, raw materials and energy because this is the main driving force to accelerate the process of sustainable economic restructuring.

Bac Ninh tourism industry has collaborated with relevant agencies to propagate and deploy environmental protection models in tourist destinations, accommodation establishments and restaurants; raised awareness of environmental protection through the use of environmentally friendly materials and reduced gas emissions; developed green tourism; aligned tourism development with preserving and promoting national cultural values and identities; managed and effectively used natural resources; protected the environment; conserved biodiversity, developed green tourism, and proactively responded to climate change. The province has focused on researching and developing a green heritage tourism model in order to tap heritages, temple and pagoda architectures, natural landscapes and community cultures. Going beyond “green tourism” will make Bac Ninh a destination of intangible cultural heritage representative of humanity. This is also a way for Bac Ninh tourism to strongly integrate into the domestic and international tourism market.

So, what is the development orientation of Bac Ninh tourism for the future?

Bac Ninh tourism industry will continue to unlock potential strengths and advantages of dense historical and cultural relics, two world cultural heritages - Quan Ho singing and Ca Tru singing, festivals and handicraft villages; strengthen international and domestic trade; improve the quality of tourism human resources; strengthen sustainable destination management and create a civilized and friendly tourism environment; and foster cross-sector and inter-regional cooperation. At the same time, the sector will develop and diversify tourism products, especially link chains and services, meet international tourism standards along with preserving, developing and promoting the images and roles of historical relics and tourist destinations; build local tourism images and brands, and develop a humane and sustainable tourism environment.

Thank you very much!