HCM CITY — More measures must be taken to further boost Đồng Nai Province’s tourism potential, according to authorities.

The southern province of Đồng Nai has multiple destinations, including Cát Tiên National Park, Giang Điền Waterfall, Mơ Waterfall, and Trị An Lake, that have attracted attention from local and international tourists.

Though there were 3.4 million visitors in 2017, up 10 per cent year-on-year, the figure could be higher if Đồng Nai adds more quality tourism products, experts have said.

This can be seen in Bửu Long, one of the first established resorts in the centre of Biên Hoà City.

“Bửu Long Resort is beautiful, and my family very much enjoyed its green surroundings; however, its service was poor. We could hardly find anything to eat here,” Nguyễn Thị Hải, a visitor told Nhân Dân (People) Newspaper.

Xuân Lộc District, which has substantial ecotourism potential, has also been unable to gain popularity due to poor infrastructure planning.

Phạm Văn Thuận, Party Secretary of Xuân Lộc District, said that visitors complained that though their journey to Xuân Trường Commune’s Chứa Chan Mountain via the cable system was pleasant, other tourism products on the mountain have not had sufficient investments, causing inconvenience for visitors.

Dương Thị Ngọc Phương, representative of Wild World Company, said that more road expansion projects should be considered to promote tourism.

Overall, Đồng Nai has multiple opportunities to thrive, but due to lack of capital and effective incentives for privatisation, the province has not reached its full potential.

Ecotourism

While foreign visitors from Germany, Britain, France, the US, Holland and Denmark often choose Cát Tiên National Park as their desired destination, local tourists prefer ecotourism tours along the Đồng Nai River.

As more people become interested in ecotourism, provincial authorities have taken measures to improve services by investing in quality infrastructure, and have called for more investment, encouraging collaboration between provinces and upgrading existing tourism sites.

Trần Văn Mùi, director of Đồng Nai Culture and Nature Reserve, said that tours have been organized for about 100 labour union officials and representatives of companies in an effort to encourage their colleagues to visit the area.

Meanwhile, ecotours departing from HCM City’s Bạch Đằng Wharf to Nam Cát Tiên National Park are about to be completed, according to authorities.

Nguyễn Hoàng Cường, head of one ecotourism project, said that tourists would be inclined to purchase souvenirs along their journey.

Acknowledging the potential of riverway tourism, many restaurant and eatery owners in Biên Hoà City have bought more boats in case of a surge in demand.

In the time to come, Đồng Nai Province plans to carry out 28 tourism projects with total investment of VNĐ19,700 billion. — VNS