QUẢNG NAM — The central province of Quảng Nam has signed an agreement with two Thai companies to develop, promote and provide services for tourism development.
The signatories to the Nov 28 Memorandum of Understanding are the Quảng Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Thailand’s Index Creative Village Public Limited Company and Vietnam Centre Limited Company.

Index Creative Village will help boost information on tourism of world heritage sites, including Hội An’s old town, the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and the Chàm Island-Hội An biosphere reserve, as well as various cultural activities during the Quảng Nam Heritage Festival next year.

The MoU also includes a promotion campaign for the Light Festival during Tết (the Lunar Vietnamese New Year) in early February, Night Market festival, International Marathon, farm tours and organic farm promotion, as well as building an international tourism college in Hội An.

The province, 800km south of Hà Nội, has attracted 110 tourism projects since 1997. The tourism industry contributes around 10 per cent of the province’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The province has attracted 4.1 million tourists, over 2 million of them foreigners, over the past 10 months, creating total revenues of VNĐ6.8 trillion (US$302 million). However, ASEAN country tourists only constitute 2 per cent of the whole.

Last year, the Mukhalinga, a statue of the Hindu god Shiva that was unearthed at the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary site in 2012, was recognised as a national treasure.

Four expressions of cultural heritage, including the art of weaving brocade by hand; the dance of the Cơ Tu ethnic minority; the art of decorating a wooden pole of the Cor ethnic minority; and the procession of the goddess of the Chăm people, have also been recognised as national intangible heritage.

In 2014, Hội An city’s Hoài River and its channels featured on the list of the 10 most famous canals in the world in the US-based travel website www.touropia.com. An Bàng beach, 3km east of Hội An city, was voted one of the top 100 beaches in the world by CNN Summer Travel in 2013. — VNS