4:06:05 PM | 31/10/2008
Cat Ba is a special island surrounded with 366 islets, many harbours and world biosphere reserves accredited by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Cat Ba holds great advantage and potentiality to develop tourism. In reality, the leaders of Cat Hai District defined that tourism is the driving force for the social and economic development. Currently, the tourism industry contributes 60 per cent to the district’s gross domestic product.
Tourism - breakthrough spearhead
Cat Hai is an island district with a natural area of 322 square metres and is divided into two areas: Cat Hai Island and Cat Ba Island. The district has 10 communes, two towns and 29,000 residents. Cat Hai has a thick cultural tradition and cultural interchange. The district has numerous potentialities to become a tourist hub of Hai Phong City as well as Vietnam.
In fact, the tourism industry in Cat Hai was rather neglected in 1994 when there was only one rest house for visitors. However, the district now has 107 hotels and restaurants with 1,910 rooms. Many are ranked 2-3 stars like Sunrise Resort and Cat Ba Resort.
The number of visitor arrivals to Cat Ba is on the rise. In 2007, as many as 700,000 visitors came to the island and it expected to see 800,000 arrivals in 2008. Surprisingly, the district expected to welcome 1 million visitors in 2010 but the goal may be reached in 2008 as it served approximate 600,000 visitors in the first half of the year, including 194,000 international arrivals.
Not only focusing on service quality as well as visitor attraction, the district also develops traffic, electric and water systems for tourism, social and economic development. At the same time, the district also actively protects the surroundings, the world biosphere reserves and cultural identities. This concerns all leaders and makes the district to seek measures to tap this potentiality. Initially, Mr. Bui Trung Nghia, Vice Chairman of Cat Hai District People’s Committee, said: “The district is actively calling internal and external investment sources and creating the best conditions for new and existing projects to start operations, including ecological tourist sites in Gia Luan, Viet Hai, Ang Bu Nau communes and Xuan Dam mineral spring. Especially, Cai Beo passenger port will be built to carry tourists to see Lan Ha Bay.”
Cat Hai welcomes all investors to do business in the locality, enabling it to build the district into a developed tourist hub of the country and the region and a place of interests for both domestic and international travellers.
Fishery - springboard for sustainable development
Fishery is the second most important economic sector of Cat Hai island district after tourism. The district has a wide sea waters, many bays and lagoons for fishery and seafood processing industry. In recent years, this economic sector has made positive changes, with an annual growth rate of 11 per cent on average. The catching output has increased steadily year after year, with widely adopted high-valued varieties. From 2006 to June 2008, the total fishing output averaged 6,280 tonnes per annum. The Cat Hai-trademarked fish sauce therefore can reach more markets throughout the world.
The results of the fishery significantly have contributed to the district’s social and economic development. However, the results are well beyond the potentiality. To ensure the sustainable development of fishery industry and to make Cat Hai become the fishery centre of the city and the northern region, from now to 2010, the district will speed up the growth of the industry to 12 - 12.5 per cent per annum on average and harvest 6,600 tonnes of seafood products per annum, of which 3,800 tonnes are bred and 2,800 tonnes are caught naturally. To realise the goals, the first thing the district needs to do is to focus on completing the fishery development plan, ensuring the synchronous development of all five fields: exploitation, processing, aquaculture, service and reproduction of fishery resources. The district will raise cash-earning aquatic species in cages, ponds and lakes, especially shrimps in Phu Long Commune.
Thanh Trung
Vietnamese
