Last year, the provincial tourism recovered and developed. However, it did not met the expected targets, particularly in terms of attracting foreign visitors. Therefore, this year, the province has developed measures to lure more tourists.
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The flight departing from Incheon city (the Republic of Korea) to Khanh Hoa province on January 1, 2023 is welcomed with water cannon. |
Friendly and attentive to visitors
Khanh Hoa province welcomed the first flight of international tourists departing from Incheon city (the Republic of Korea) at 9:50 am at Cam Ranh International Airport on the first day of the New Year 2023. The flight with 152 passengers was warmly welcomed with thoughtful rituals, including water cannon when the aircraft landed; flowers and souvenirs given to foreign tourists; an interesting folk musical instrument and lion dance performance.
In the afternoon the same day, the province welcomed 180 passengers from Almaty city – the biggest city, and a big trade and cultural center in Kazakhstan. The city has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of music since November 2017. Therefore, attracting tourists from this locality to Khanh Hoa province is also a solution to promote the image of Vietnam to the world through tourism activities.
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A leader of Khanh Hoa province present gifts to passengers from Almaty city, Kazakhstan. |
According to Director of Khanh Hoa provincial Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, welcoming international visitors to Khanh Hoa is the first activity of this year. Hopefully, Khanh Hoa will welcome more international flights, attracting more tourists to the province - a "safe, friendly and attractive destination so that the international tourist market of the province will recover, contributing to its strong tourism development in the time ahead.
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Korean air passengers posing for photo at Cam Ranh International Airport. |
In realizing the action program of the provincial Party Committee on developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector in the 2021-2025 period and Vietnam's tourism development strategy to 2030 in the province, Khanh Hoa sets a target that by 2025, the total revenue from tourism will reach VND 200 trillion, directly contributing 15% to 17% to GRDP, creating jobs for more than 160,000 workers. The province strives to attract 11 million visitors, including 5 million international ones while maintaining an average growth rate of tourists of 22% a year, with 25% a year growth in the number of foreign visitors. Therefore, without flexibility, dynamism and innovation, the province will find it difficult to achieve the set goals.
Many flexible, synchronous solutions devised
Although in 2022, tourism revenue of Khanh Hoa province reached about VND 13.5 trillion, the number of arrivals was over 2.5 million with more than 250,000 foreign visitors, far higher than that in the previous year, it was still modest in terms of foreign visitors against the years before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic because of the dependence on two big markets, China and Russia, which are temporarily "frozen" by disease and conflict. So, Khanh Hoa tourism industry is trying to diversify the source of visitors, opening new markets in accordance with its strength and capability.
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The hosts and guests from Incheon city in a joint photo |
One of the solutions is to promote linkages and cooperation with partners in tourism development, which the province has recently implemented effectively. The province has participated in many international tourism fairs in Vietnam; jointly organized the program "Connecting businesses to stimulate tourism in Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa;" popularized and connected to boost tourism cooperation with localities and businesses in India and the Republic of Korea within the framework of the business trips of province’s leaders to these countries; coordinated with regional localities to hold the workshop "One trip, three destinations tour to Binh Dinh - Phu Yen - Khanh Hoa to develop tourist markets in China, Japan, the Republic of Korea" in Binh Dinh province; and developed and expanded the Central Asian tourist market, among others.
According to Permanent Vice Chairman of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa Tourism Association Pham Minh Nhut, to attract foreign visitors, Khanh Hoa tourism businesses need to join hands with travel businesses, tourism businesses. tourist sites, tourist attractions to well operate the supply chains of tourism products, improve service quality, expand and diversify tourism products. Attentively, tourism products need to meet specific requirements of each tourist market.
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Cham dance at Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang city attracts tourists. |
Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh stressed that the focus of the tourism industry in 2023 includes the response to possible epidemics; information dissemination to raise public awareness of tourism development; development of mechanisms and policies related to tourism; development of human resources to serve tourism development; application of information technology to tourism activities; digitalization of tourism management methods; promotion of linkages and cooperation in tourism development; and development of Khanh Hoa tourism brand and tourism promotion.
Translated by Mai Huong