Bà Om Pond in Trà Vinh Province. — VNS Photo Ngọc Diệp

TRÀ VINH — The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Trà Vinh has received 765,400 visitors so far this year, an increase of 66.5 per cent year-on-year.

They include more than 27,300 foreigners.

Tourism revenues were estimated at nearly VNĐ280 billion (US$12 million), an increase of more than VNĐ107 billion ($4.6 million).

Analysts say the province has huge tourism potential but failed to capitalise on it due to poor services and failure to develop or market them.

It has a long coastline stretching 65km along the East Sea, some 140 Khmer pagodas, renowned architectural and historical relics, and intangible cultural heritages.

Trà Vinh is known as a green city with hundreds of trees that are more than a century old. 

Dương Hoàng Sum, director of the province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said a number of efforts had been made to develop tourism such as offering incentives to investors and upgrading infrastructure and facilities.

“The province has set itself the goal of developing tourism as one of its key sectors.”

It would focus on developing Duyên Hải Town and Cầu Kè and Trà Cú districts as its three main tourism destinations, and turn the Bà Om Pond, a cultural relic site, into a national tourist site.

It was soliciting investment in some eco-tourism projects in Ba Động Beach and Duyên Hải Town.

This year, it planned to spend around VNĐ14 billion ($603,000) on tourism marketing and promotion.

Last year, it had started building a Khmer culture and tourism village at a cost of nearly VNĐ26 billion ($1.1 million), with VNĐ8 billion ($344,700) coming from the Government’s coffers and the rest from private investors.

On September 9, the Cồn Chim community tourism site was launched in Châu Thành District’s Hòa Minh Commune.

“We are also enhancing links with HCM City and provinces in the delta to boost our tourism industry.”

By 2025, Trà Vinh hopes to welcome 2.5 million tourists a year, including 85,000 foreigners, and earn VNĐ1.6 trillion ($68.9 million) in revenues. — VNS