Developing Specific Tourism Products as Competitive Advantages

To turn tourism into a spearhead economic sector, Can Tho City has striven to spur tourism development. The city has actively created distinctively special, unique and novel products to entice tourists.

Efforts for destination brand

The master plan for Mekong Delta tourism development to 2020, with a vision to 2030, sets out to make Can Tho City a tourism center of the Mekong Delta and a tourism development center of the country. Resolution 03-NQ/TU of Can Tho City Party Committee on tourism development sets out the goal of making Can Tho tourism a leading economic sector, affirming its brand and sustainable development, importantly contributing to service structure and the growth of the city, developing professional, modern, focused tourism for the first-tier city of the Mekong Delta.

Besides, to further boost tourism development, Can Tho City Party Committee issued Resolution 10-NQ/TU dated December 31, 2021 on tourism development in the new context to develop tourism into a leading economic sector.

Can Tho tourism has achieved strong growth in recent years. Tourist arrivals and tourism revenue increased impressively at an average of 20% a year. The city's tourism also rebounded strongly in the first months of 2022.

One of the remarkable changes in Can Tho tourism is the right focus on locally distinctive products such as city river eco-tour; historical and cultural tourism, and MICE tourism (tourism combined with meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions).

Many new products of local cultural identity have been created, with many being very well-known to tourists like community tourism on Son Island, Tan Loc Island, ecological sites and farms (Ong De, Chin Hong, Cantho Farm and Bao Gia Trang Vien). Destinations of Can Tho have become more diverse. Specifically, Son Island is popular for "fish specialties" with many novel experiences: flying snakehead fish and feeding fish with a spoon. Tan Loc Island is a sweet land of many orchards.

In addition, the city has many river-based tourism products such as the high-class Victoria Mekong cruise on Can Tho - Chau Doc - Phnom Penh route, Mai Linh Express high-speed boat on Can Tho - Con Dao route; and three yachts for night sightseeing and dining.

Accelerating digital transformation

Currently, many digital transformation models such as the City Tourism Portal at https://canthotourism.vn and http://mycantho.vn have been put into operation and are increasingly being upgraded and completed. Besides, there are technology solutions for tourism management and administration, and tourism promotion.

Furthermore, most local tourism businesses are involved in digital applications. Some have invested in websites, digital business, e-commerce, and data digitization. Some gardeners and community tourist sites have also deployed technology to build images and introduce products through social networking sites.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that in 2022, Can Tho City has focused on COVID-19 pandemic containment for socio-economic recovery and development. The city will actively build safe and friendly tourism products through strong digital transformation in the following aspects: IT application, digital platforms, e-commerce, data digitization and website development.

In the coming time, the department will advise the City People's Committee on the plan for “Digital transformation and increased IT application to tourism in 2021-2025, with an eye to 2030”.

"Specially, Can Tho City will create an open tourism data platform, encourage organizations, individuals and businesses to invest and contribute data to the shared data system and joint mining," he added.

Source: Vietnam Business Forum