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| Effective local partnerships facilitate the promotion of tourism in Hue |
Collaboration generates value
The cooperative effort among the five provinces and cities in Central Vietnam, including Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, and Quang Nam, marks a significant milestone for the tourism sector of these localities and the entire dynamic economic region of Central Vietnam.
In 2023, with the shared mindset that "If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together," the partnership group supported each other in promotional and marketing activities. The five localities jointly promoted tourism at the VITM International Travel Expo - Hanoi 2023, the ITE HCMC International Travel Expo 2023, organized introduction programs in Malaysia, and participated in the ITB fair in Singapore. Additionally, they hosted numerous famtrip and Presstrips from traditional and potential tourism markets in Asia and all around the world.
According to representatives from the tourism industry of Quang Nam province, their local tourism brands have been recognized. A vibrant tourism landscape has been interconnected and arranged within a space rich in heritage and cultural values to create a fascinating "Realm of Marvelous Heritage," an irresistible destination for both domestic and international travelers.
Recalling September 2023, visitors were deeply impressed when visiting the joint booth "Five Localities, One Destination," which showcased the strengths, programs, and outstanding tourism products of the five provinces/cities within the partnership (including Thua Thien Hue - Da Nang - Quang Nam - Quang Binh - Quang Tri) at the 17th Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo (ITE HCMC 2023). Diverse information, programs, events in late 2023 and 2024, along with tourism demand-stimulating products from provinces, cities in general, and Thua Thien Hue province, in particular, were introduced to visitors and domestic tourism service businesses.
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| The tourism industry of Thua Thien Hue - Da Nang - Quang Nam welcomed Famtrip delegations from the Philippines to survey tourist destinations in Central Vietnam |
A lot of localities nationwide are also intensifying collaboration efforts. Regarding the "neighborhood" partnership, including six provinces: Binh Dinh, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Phu Yen, and Quang Ngai, there are numerous collaborative tourism development programs. Through cooperation, exchange, and sharing of experiences, localities are jointly promoting tourism development, leading to a significant increase in the number of visitors. In 2023 solely, Binh Dinh province welcomed 5 million visitors (an increase of 21.4% compared to 2022), with total tourism revenue exceeding 16.4 trillion VND; Phu Yen province attracted 3.2 million visitors (a 44% increase), with total tourism revenue surpassing 4.9 trillion VND.
Mr. Nguyen Le Phuc, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, believes that as a comprehensive and interdisciplinary economic sector with high regional and social connectivity, tourism faces increasingly fierce competition in the region. Tourism collaboration is essential for each locality to exploit potential advantages, create unique and highly competitive products, and develop tourism into a leading economic sector. Through collaborative tourism development activities among provinces, cities, we can have promotional activities, and introduce the image of our country, people, and customs of each locality to domestic and international tourists. Besides, market expansion and development can be enhanced, thereby strengthening the attraction of social resources both within and outside the connected regions to boost tourism development.
Leveraging Advantages
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism, in 2023, the provincial tourism industry welcomed nearly 3.2 million tourists, an increase of 54.4% compared to 2022; among them were nearly 1.2 million international visitors, increasing nearly 345% compared to 2022. Tourism revenue is estimated to reach over 6,605 billion VND, a 45.7% increase compared to 2022. In 2024, the tourism industry of Thua Thien Hue province expects to welcome around 3.5 - 4 million visitors, with domestic visitors accounting for about 60-70%; total tourism revenue is expected to reach around 7,500 - 8,000 billion VND. To achieve this goal, it is clear that various solutions, including regional collaboration, are needed to drive tourism development.
Mr. Truong Thanh Minh, Director of the Tourism Promotion Information Center, stated that as the leader of the tourism development partnership among five localities: Thua Thien Hue - Da Nang - Quang Nam - Quang Binh - Quang Tri, in 2024, Thua Thien Hue province will propose implementing collaboration with several provinces/cities, key regions nationwide, and participating in promotional activities to promote regional tourism in 2024. In addition, it’s also important to enhance the effectiveness of collaboration among the five localities in promotional activities to other provinces, cities nationwide, such as participating in prominent annual tourism fairs: VITM Hanoi, ITE HCMC, VITM Da Nang, etc. Meanwhile, the province would organize demand-stimulating programs in major cities and coordinate to welcome domestic fam trips and press trips for surveys and article writing.
The provincial tourism industry will also collaborate with the "Five Localities, One Destination" partnership group to participate in conferences, fairs, and tourism introduction programs in international tourist markets such as Northeast Asia (China, South Korea, Japan...), East Asia (Taiwan), ASEAN (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia...), Australia, etc. organized by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism or the Vietnam Tourism Association. Additionally, Thua Thien Hue will build, manage, and run promotional campaigns for the five local tourism destinations on platforms such as websites, fan pages, and TikTok Amazing Central Vietnam Heritage. Invitations will be extended to travel bloggers, Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), vloggers, and inspirational figures in the media to promote tourism destinations in the five localities.