Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ha Van Thang said the province now offers six main types of tourism products, namely resort, cultural-community, ecological, agriculture-craft village, adventure sport and smart tourism products.
However, those products have not been able to create strong impression on visitors. Community tourist products are said to be monotonous, failing to meet visitors’ demand for experience and exploration.
Home to Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina, but the local tourism industry has not made full use of it for adventure sport tourism.
According to the strategy, Lao Cai expects to have 20 percent of tourists in key markets become aware of the Sa Pa- Fansipan trademark, 50 percent of visitors choosing Lao Cai for holidays based on the trademark, and 50 percent return to the province for long stay.
Thang said Lao Cai will renew its traditional tourist products by fully tapping advantages in topography, climate and local specialities and traditional handicrafts.
Chief of the Sa Pa township’s culture-information office Hoang Thi Vuong said Sa Pa will build two community tourism areas imbued with cultural identity of ethnic minorities under ASEAN standards.
Between now and 2030, Lao Cai will step up market research with a focus on key markets such as Western Europe and Australia, expand near markets in Northeast Asia and ASEAN, and attract visitors from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and northern urban areas, then gradually reaching out to others.
The province will assist several localities in building trademarks, as well as special and competitive tourist products,
Home to the popular holiday town of Sa Pa, Lao Cai has set a target of welcoming 5 million visitors this year and earning more than 16 trillion VND (696.17 million USD) in tourism revenue.
Sa Pa has long been among the country’s leading destinations. Of note, young people accounted for more than 70 percent of tourist arrivals to the town last year.
Source: VNA