Green, Clean and Sustainable Tourism Development

Ninh Thuan has accelerated sustainable and environment-friendly tourism investment and development in the past years. To learn more about this development approach, our reporter has an interview with Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, Director of Ninh Thuan Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Han Luong reports.

Could you please briefly introduce the outstanding results that Ninh Thuan's tourism industry has achieved in recent years?

The implementation of Resolution 08-NQ/BCT of the Politburo "on developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector" and Resolution 115/NQ-CP of the Government "on implementation of specific mechanisms and policies to support Ninh Thuan socioeconomic development, production stabilization and people's livelihood security in 2018-2023 has opened a new breakthrough approach to green clean and sustainable tourism development of Ninh Thuan province.

Ninh Thuan has attracted many big tourism investors. Therefore, tourism facilities have been increasingly improved. Hospitality and entertainment services have been quickly invested by organizations and individuals. Tourist arrivals to the province have increased rapidly in the past five years, an average increase of 10.8% a year. The tourism industry accounts for 8% of the province's GRDP. Especially, tourism started to recover from the beginning of 2022. Specifically, in the first three months of 2022, visitor arrivals were estimated at 510,600 (reaching 26.9% of the full-year plan). 2,040 foreigners arrived in the province for business while domestic visitors were counted at 508,560. Tourism-related social income was VND370 billion (24.3% of the plan). In March 2022 alone, tourist arrivals were forecast at 270,600 strong (an increase of 7.04% over the same period of 2021).

To make tourism development commensurate with local potential and advantages, what solutions will the tourism industry of Ninh Thuan implement?

Starting to focus on tourism development quite late as compared to other localities, Ninh Thuan province adopted a high-class and environment-friendly tourism development strategy. This is a right approach, according to industry experts.

Especially in the current context, the province will focus on full vaccinations for its citizens. It will provide training support for tourism workers who will be trained in management skills and professional skills to deliver better tourism services; quickly complete technical facilities and equipment to welcome guests. Ninh Thuan will accelerate tourism promotion via digital platforms and mass media; develop and diversify new tourism products; enhance tourism administration, especially in planning management and worker quality management; continue to effectively implement the Government's support policies for businesses and employees.

Do you have any message to local authorities as well as investors, especially in tourism and culture?

By 2030, Ninh Thuan will become an upper middle-income province in the country. By 2045, it will become a comprehensively developed, high-income province, driven by marine tourism, eco-tourism and cultural tourism. Then, tourism will be truly an economic sector, the second pillar after the renewable energy industry in the province's six pillars of economic sectors, based on three groundbreaking actions and four key tasks. The local government encourages investors in tourism development. We hope that the province will continue to accompany investors, issue mechanisms and policies for more sustainable tourism development by managing, using and attracting resources reasonably, and ensuring harmonious interests of all stakeholders. Hopefully, in the future, with professional and devoted tourism investors and businesses, Ninh Thuan will have tourist paradises like Maldives, Bali or Phuket - tourism paradises in Asia. It will no longer be an expectation, but a reality.

Thank you very much!

Source: Vietnam Business Forum