HÀ NỘI — Favourable transport infrastructure and the beautiful landscape are expected to boost tourism in the northern port city of Hải Phòng.
Cát Bi International Airport and the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng expressway, which were put into service in early 2016, have helped reduce travel time from Hà Nội to Hải Phòng.
Direct flights between Hải Phòng and countries such as Thailand and the Republic of Korea, localities such as HCM City and Phú Quốc Island District in Kiên Giang Province in the south, Đà Lạt City in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng and Nha Trang City in the central coastal province of Khánh Hoà have been launched.
Along with favourable transport infrastructure, efforts made by agencies to promote tourism and the involvement of large investors have turned Hải Phòng into a popular tourist destination.
At a workshop on Hải Phòng tourism held by the municipal Department of Tourism, leading experts in this field from across the country discussed ways to boost local tourism through social communication and developing standard tourism products.
Various tourism promotion activities have been conducted in Cát Hải District, which is the administrative management unit of the Cát Bà Archipelago, an attractive tourist site with leisure, exploration and ecological tourism in the Cát Bà National Park in the island commune of Việt Hải.
Firms such as Vingroup, Sungroup and Him Lam have invested in luxurious resorts in Cát Bà and Đồ Sơn. Once operational, the projects are expected to become ideal destinations for both domestic and foreign holidaymakers.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Hải Phòng, particularly Đồ Sơn beach town, has experience in tourism development.
The northern port city welcomes a large number of visitors every year. In 2017 the locality is expected to greet 5.7 million tourists, the agency said, noting that the target is within reach as about 5.6 million tourists visited Hải Phòng last year.
Nguyễn Quý Phương, head of VNAT’s Travel Department, at a recent workshop on tourism development in Hải Phòng said the city should make a breakthrough in tourism and consider the sector a driving force for local economic development.
He also suggested the city step up State management to synchronously conduct tourism activities.
To that end, Hải Phòng should revamp the municipal Tourism Department, ensuring it has enough human resources capable of implementing the city’s guidelines and plans, Phương said.
At the same time, it is necessary to develop spearhead tourism products, such as leisure tourism on Cát Bà Island in a sustainable manner, he added.
Nguyễn Thị Hà, director of Viettravel Hải Phòng, described tourism products as decisive to tourism promotion, saying Hải Phòng should connect with other localities to promote tourism products for the northern coastal region.
Travel companies will introduce products for their customers, she said, underlining the need for Hải Phòng to turn into an attractive and safe destination, different from others in culture and landscape.
Channels should be built and updated with new mechanisms, policies and information about tourist attractions and Hải Phòng’s connection with foreign and domestic localities, Hà suggested.
In particular, information about Cát Bi International Airport needs to be updated more regularly for partners and tourists, she added.
Trần Thị Kim Quy, deputy director of Hùng Vương Investment JSC, investor of international brand names such as Cát Bà Resort and Flamingo Đại Lải in the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc, said the Cát Bà Archipelago has advantages for tourism development, with the most noteworthy being its biodiversity and Cái Bèo, the most ancient fishing village in Việt Nam.
However, Cát Bà has failed to fully tap its potential, she said, suggesting Hải Phòng extend the duration of tourism projects on the islands to 70 years and shorten the time for administrative procedures while upgrading infrastructure in Cát Bà. — VNS