The increasing number of visitors to the southern province of Tây Ninh last year proved the potential of this local tourism market. — Photo sovhttdl.tayninh.gov.vn

TÂY NINH — The southern province of Tây Ninh is determined to shape and assert its tourism brand on the map of Việt Nam’s tourism with a budget of VNĐ 7 billion (US$294,300) from now until 2025.

The provincial People's Committee has asked relevant units to establish a local brand identity image with four key attractions and 13 other tourist sites.

The plan aims to connect a series of attractive destinations in Tây Ninh, including the historical and scenic Bà Đen Mountain, Tây Ninh Caodaism Holy See, Dầu Tiếng Lake, and the Central Party Office for South Việt Nam, a special national heritage site,

To establish a distinct identity, relevant authorities will select, enhance the quality of and focus on promoting 10 festivals such as the Bà Đen Mountain Spring Festival, Dol-Ta Festival and Trảng Bàng Rice Paper Festival, among others.

In 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic was under control, Tây Ninh attracted more than 4.5 million visitors, an increase of 200 per cent compared to 2021.

Total tourism revenue of the province reached nearly VNĐ1.5 trillion in 2022, an increase of 140 per cent over the same period last year.

The number of tourists visiting Bà Đen Mountain was almost 4.3 million, which was a promising sign demonstrating that the province has made a strong recovery after the pandemic.

These achievements were due to the efforts of leadership at all levels in promoting and implementing tourism promotion through various traditional and modern methods.

However, Tây Ninh tourism still faces some limitations, resulting in some poor quality tourism products and low international tourist numbers compared to projections and development potential.

Therefore, it is crucial to focus on the development and promotion of Tây Ninh tourism destinations in the 2023-2025 period, according to the provincial People's Committee.

The budget for the Tây Ninh tourism promotion plan is VNĐ7 billion, taken from the local budget, of which, nearly VNĐ4.7 billion is allocated for tourism information portal software.

Key attractions with their different characteristics will be identified. From there, they will be put on the planning map for professional development.

Related units need to strengthen and prioritise the use of digital technology in management activities to allow tourists to access and experience various tourism services more conveniently.

The Tây Ninh tourism information portal will integrate a smart digital tourism map of localities, which will provide detailed descriptions and introduce information about attractions using virtual reality.

Meanwhile, a chatbot system that provides tourism information will be built as well.

It will offer personalised suggestions for tourists by asking and analysing answers about various topics such as destinations, hotel room price suggestions, interesting activities to experience, and flight ticket exchange support, among others. — VNS