Provincial leaders exchanged with delegates at the opening ceremony

The first provincial Tourism Advisory Board

Over the last time, Hue tourism has had stable growth, but the quality has not yet been high, said Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Cao, addressing the opening ceremony. In the current context, Hue tourism needs new motives, institutions, human resources and resources. That is the reason for the province to promote the establishment of advisory board with the desire to receive contributions to Hue tourism development

According to Mr. Tran Trong Kien, Chairman of Administrative Council cum General Director of  Thien Minh Tourism Joint Stock Company, this is the first provincial tourism advisory board nationwide. The board members are the leading experts in the field of travel, accommodation, communications, and aviation.

The Board has the task of studying and advising Thua Thien Hue  Province  People's Committee on management work, macro policies, programs and plans for tourism development; creating  forums for exchange, etc.

The Board will forecast and propose the orientations for tourism development grounded on the world's tourism development trends and the principles of responsible tourism to ensure sustainable growth; identify and evaluate the specific issues Hue tourism sector is facing, propose appropriate and feasible solutions through the survey, evaluation and collection of information on tourism activities, travel, hotels and other related services; support and mobilize other resources of the society in organizing activities to promote tourism advertisement, and create tourism products.

Provincial leaders pose for a photo with the advisory board members

Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh, Head of the Secretariat of the National Tourism Advisory Council, affirmed that the board operates voluntarily, not for personal gain, in order to advise Thua Thien Hue Province People's Committee on issues related to tourism development; acts as a bridge between the State management agencies and tourism enterprises on the emerging issues being addressed in the tourism industry in Thua Thien Hue.

Defining the market

From the practical assessment, the advisory board has made the initial contributions to the development strategy for Hue in the coming time.

Mr. Tran Trong Kien said that Hue should soon formulate the policies to increase the number of high quality human resources in management; build the typical product chain of Hue, combined with the title of green city; and focus on upgrading infrastructure. The most important is the airport; the capacity of the airport in Hue should be raised to 5-10 million passengers per annum

The Advisory Board set the target by 2023 to help Hue collect USD 1.8 billion directly from tourism by taking 6 million tourists to Hue, raising the tourists’ average number of stay days to three days, increasing the average expenditure to USD 200 a head per day, thereby bringing the high income of about VND12 million per month to direct service personnel.

Mr. Adam Sitkoff, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi agreed that Hue should soon upgrade the airport. According to Adam, Hue needs a long-term investment attraction strategy and should call on big corporations to operate and exploit the airport.

With their ties, the big investors will call on more investors to exploit the airport more efficiently. The forecast said the airports adjacent to Hue will be overloaded in a few years, so Hue has many opportunities to develop.

All delegates deemed that Hue should define its own brand grounded on its strengths and future orientation. Based on that, Hue should segment the customers in terms of age, income, etc. to promote and build the suitable products. "The culture, gastronomy, hospitality, the Perfume River, etc. are the comparative advantages of Hue, and are the brands that can create       the identity," suggested John Tue Nguyen, Director of  Indochina Trail Service - Trade Company.

According to Mr. Ho Kwon Ping, Chairman of Banyan Tree Holding and Resort Pte. Ltd., Hue needs to create a "vitality" of heritages through services, by formulating a clear co-operation policy with the private sector for businesses to generate "vitality." There should be a database and information to provide for each business upon its arrival in Hue for investment.

Mr.Vo Quang Lien Kha, Deputy General Director of Vietravel said: "I propose that gastronomy will be the brand for Hue tourism in years to come, with the slogan ‘Gastronomy Capital.’  Hue accounts for up to 60% of dishes nationwide, so it is wise to promote this brand.”

Concluding the opening ceremony, Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Cao emphasized that the orientation of Thua Thien Hue is to focus on improving the quality and raising tourists’ level of expenditure. The province will work with the Government to upgrade Phu Bai Airport soon. The market should be specifically defined and segmented to grow in the coming time.

With the advent of the advisory board, Thua Thien Hue Province wishes to make strategic contributions to develop Hue tourism in a sustainable and effective way.

Story and photos: Duc Quang