Hà Tiên City in Kiên Giang has significant tourism strengths. Photo thanhnien.vn

KIÊN GIANG — With abundant natural resources, and numerous scenic spots and historical sites, Kiên Giang Province has favourable conditions for investment, exploitation, and development of tourism, as it aims to make it the province's spearhead economic sector.

The province has unique characteristics that few coastal areas have, such as pristine forests, hills, rivers and streams, together with a system of cultural and historical heritage sites, landscapes, and attractions that contribute to building the brand and positioning the image of Kiên Giang tourism on the national and global tourism map.

There are five pristine archipelagos with over 143 large and small islands within the province.

Specifically, Phú Quốc Island is being invested in to become a high-end eco-tourism and resort hub in Việt Nam and the world.

The island offers many white-sand beaches, clear blue waters, and a national park covering 31,422 hectares, preserving rare tropical forest plant species and unique natural forest landscapes.

In addition to Phú Quốc, the coastal city of Hà Tiên also has significant tourism strengths.

The locality is part of the R10 tourism route (Việt Nam - Cambodia - Thailand), providing substantial opportunities for economic and tourism development.

Tourists can travel by road on this route from Thailand and Cambodia to Kiên Giang through the Hà Tiên international border checkpoint.

Meanwhile, Rạch Giá City is the first place in Việt Nam to carry out land reclamation for building a new urban area.

The expanded area is turning the city into one of the major urban areas in the Southwest region.

U Minh Thượng National Park, with its unique ecosystem of melaleuca forests on mudflats, is recognised as a world biosphere reserve, containing rich, diverse, and unique landscapes and ecosystems with significant research and tourism value.

Kiên Giang targets making tourism a professional and modern industry. VNA/VNS Photo

Striving for tourism

With the goal of achieving comprehensive and sustainable tourism development in terms of scope, scale, service quality, and sustainability, Kiên Giang aims to make tourism a spearhead economic sector by 2030.

It aims for high growth rates and to make it a professional and modern industry.

By 2030, Kiên Giang tourism is expected to attract over 1.6 million international visitors and 22 million domestic tourists, contributing over 17.5 per cent to the province's Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of VNĐ105 trillion (US$4.3 billion)

According to the Kiên Giang Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Centre (KITRA), in the period from 2018 to 2023, Kiên Giang welcomed over 37 million tourists, including over two million foreign visitors.

The total revenue from tourism reached VNĐ66 trillion, with an average annual growth rate of over 6 per cent.

Currently, the tourism industry employs over 15,000 people across the province.

It is projected that by 2025, Kiên Giang will receive over ten million tourists, with total tourism revenue exceeding VNĐ13 trillion.

Kiên Giang currently has 940 accommodation establishments with 33,275 rooms and, specifically, 4- and 5-star hotels and resorts totaling 26 with 11,133 rooms.

The province has attracted 317 investment projects in the tourism sector, covering a total area of 9,663 hectares and a total capital of VNĐ372 trillion.

Multiple large and modern hotels and resorts meeting international standards have been invested in, such as Vinpearl Resort, Novotel Resort, Marriot Resort, and various entertainment facilities such as casinos, safaris, sea-crossing cable cars, and 18-hole golf courses.

Quảng Xuân Lụa, director of KITRA, told Thanh Niên newspaper that to contribute to the sustainable development of tourism as a spearhead economic sector, KITRA will continue to promote activities to attract investment, and support and collaborate with businesses and individuals to develop diverse tourism products.

This includes hosting international press trip delegations to survey Kiên Giang tourism, enhancing cooperation with foreign affairs agencies and Việt Nam’s representative offices abroad in communication and tourism promotion.

KITRA is also intensifying communication activities through social media platforms and electronic marketing. In particular, digital transformation is one of the focal tasks that the unit is concentrating on to enhance digital promotion and develop smart tourism.

Kiên Giang is also increasing the participation of private businesses in marketing activities, targeting key markets and B2B campaigns, Lụa added. — VNS