BÌNH THUẬN — The central province of Bình Thuận plans to develop Mũi Né, a popular beach area in the coastal city of Phan Thiết, into a national tourism site by 2030, speakers at a conference in the province have said.

By 2025, Mũi Né would become the main resort centre of Bình Thuận and the south-central coastal region, welcoming 10 million visitors. And by 2030, the area would meet all requirements for becoming a national level site, with 16 million visitors and VNĐ58 trillion (US$2.5 billion) in tourism revenue.

The area aims to attract new markets in central and northern Europe and the Middle East, and will focus on beaches, sports, culture and community tourism.

Phạm Trung Lương, former deputy head of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, said: “To achieve the goal, Bình Thuận Province should create diverse tourism products, boost promotion and train people.”

“The province should also care more about environmental factors and the effects of climate change,” he added.

Lương emphasised that developing Mũi Né into a national tourism site would boost development in the region, and links with the Central Highlands.

Representatives of tourism agencies and cultural experts in Bình Thuận and neighbouring provinces and cities attended the conference. They called for more investment in entertainment and traffic infrastructure.

Ngô Thanh Loan of the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities noted that Mũi Né’s “key resource is the beach, so protecting the natural landscape is a must during development”.

Nguyễn Đức Hòa, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, asked the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to collect opinions from all attendees at the conference.

He asked the department to submit the development plan to the People’s Committee soon. — VNS