Visitors at the Pôklông Garai Tower in the south-central province of Ninh Thuận, which has been recognised as a special national architectural relic. —VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Ninh Thuận should focus its tourism growth on features that set it apart from other localities, experts and officials said at a recent conference.

Officials said the south-central province has identified four major planks for its five-year (2021-2025) tourism development plan: beaches, Chăm culture, hi-tech upgrades, and eco-tourism at the Núi Chúa National Park.

Speaking at a tourism promotion conference held in the central province of Quảng Nam, Nguyễn Long Biên, deputy chairman of the Ninh Thuận Province People’s Committee, said the province will also focus efforts on reforming its investment environment, upgrading local tourism infrastructure and developing quality tourism products.

The province location on the junction linking the Southeastern key economic region with the South-central and Central Highlands regions makes it convenient for visitors to get there, Biên said.

With a coastline of more than 105 kilometres, the province boasts several highly scenic spots including: Bình Sơn – Ninh Chữ; Cà Ná, Bình Tiên and Hang Tái beaches; Núi Chúa and Phước Bình National Parks, and Vĩnh Hy Bay, one of the eight most beautiful bays in Việt Nam, he added.

Last year, the Núi Chúa National Park was recognised by the UNESCO as Global Biosphere Reserve.

The province is home to most of the ethnic Cham people living in Việt Nam, which gives it a distinct cultural identity with associated architecture, festivals and traditional handicraft villages.

The Pôklông Garai, Pô Rômê, and Hòa Lai Cham Tower complexes never fail to impress visitors with their architectural brilliance.

The province also has special natural cultural heritages like the Mỹ Nghiệp Brocade Weaving Village and Bàu Trúc Pottery Village; the latter is considered the oldest pottery village in Southeast Asia.

Assoc. Prof. Phạm Trung Lương, former deputy director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, said that with two national parks, the province also has a huge advantage in developing nature-based tourism.

Lê Ngọc Tường, deputy director of Quảng Nam Province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Ninh Thuận should strengthen tourism linkages with neighbouring provinces to develop inter-provincial travel programmes.

The importance of modernising the industry was emphasised by Hà Văn Siêu, deputy general director of the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism, who said the province should invest in digital travel products and tourism promotions.

The tourism industry should focus on features that distinguish Ninh Thuan from other localities and strengthen public-private partnership in development and promotion of local tourism products, Siêu said.

He suggested that the province collaborates with neighbouring Bình Thuận Province to host the National Tourism Year 2023 event. 

The province has targeted receiving 3.5 million tourists a year by 2025, including around 500,000 foreigners.

Under the 2021-2025 tourism development plan (with vision towards 2030) the province aims to serve 6 million visitors by 2030, including 900,000 foreigners.

The province’s tourism industry is projected to generate revenues of VNĐ2.9 trillion (US$127.54 million) by 2025 and VNĐ5.9 trillion ($250.39) by 2030, making it an economic spearhead that contributes around 15 per cent of the province’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP). — VNS