CẦN THƠ — The Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ has become one of the most popular tourism destinations among Japanese visitors, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO).

Việt Nam welcomed 520,000 Japanese visitors during the first nine months of 2017, up 10.1 per cent year-on-year, chief representative of JNTO in Việt Nam Takahashi Ayumi said, adding that many of them chose Cần Thơ to visit, up 10 per cent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, Japan welcomed 230,000 tourists from Việt Nam, up 15 per cent year-on-year, he added.

He explained that due to the peaceful and rural atmosphere that Cần Thơ City offers, it has attracted many Japanese tourists.

“Most of them enjoy ecotourism, together with local attractions, especially Cái Răng Floating Market,” he added.

That being said, local authorities should step up efforts to efficiently promote Cần Thơ tourism.

Many Japanese tourism firms have considered collaborating with the city, however, they were not able to access to necessary tourism-related information.

As such, multiple destinations in Cần Thơ City, including Tân Lộc Isle, Bằng Lăng Stork Garden and fruit gardens in Phong Điền area have not had enough support and capacity to thrive, Takahashi emphasised.

He said that JNTO has planned to organise more activities that further introduce and promote Cần Thơ tourism to Japanese visitors.

He encouraged collaborations between local authorities and Japanese tourism agencies to effectively make the plan work.

While upgrades in infrastructure are required, it is important to preserve physical relics and intangible cultural heritage in Cần Thơ City.

He added that the city should make use of social media platforms to boost tourism and invite popular local and international artists to become ambassadors of the area.

Deputy chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Trương Quang Hoài Nam agreed that more efforts have to be put into promoting Cần Thơ tourism.

He said that though the number of arrivals to the city has significantly increased, many tourists, especially international ones, did not choose to stay in the city for their holiday partly because of a lack of high-quality resorts.

In the future, local authorities should call for investments in Tân Lộc Isle, Bằng Lăng Stork Garden and Phong Điền Ecotourism Area, among other attractions along the Hậu River, Nam said.

Cần Thơ is developing the largest horseracing and sports complex in the Mekong Delta in Bình Thuỷ District’s Long Hoà Ward, worth US$500 million.

The project, once completed, is expected to make the city stand out, he added. — VNS