The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a plan todevelop tourism as a key economic sector in the Mekong Delta.
The plan, which extends to 2020, will aid in the country's economictransformation and help reduce hunger and poverty, according to theministry.
The main goals are to diversify tourism products and fully exploit the country's tourism potential.
The plan calls for linkage among provinces and cities in the region andadditional investment in tourism projects of international standards.
Under the plan, the Mekong Delta region would focus on the overseasVietnamese community and Southeast Asian tourism market, especiallyCambodia , while maintaining current markets in Northeast Asia, WesternEurope and North America .
Domestically, the area aims toattract more tourists as well, particularly from HCM City andHanoi , and the southeastern region.
The Delta regionhopes to welcome 2.7 million foreign visitors and 5.3 million domestictourists by 2015, according to the plan.
By 2020, theregion expects to receive 3.9 million foreign tourists and 6.5 millionlocal visitors. By 2015, there would be 37,150 hotel rooms and a totalof 50,000 by 2020.
The aim is to employ 154,700 people in the Mekong Delta tourism sector by 2015 and 236,600 by 2020.
The Mekong Delta region would focus on developing rural tourism(orchard and river tours combined with home-stays); cultural tourism(exploration of ethnic cultures), eco-tourism (tours of ecologicalsystems in the area), and high-quality spa therapy tourism (includingKien Giang province's Phu Quoc Island and Ha Tien town).
In recent years, the Mekong Delta has attained significant achievementsin tourism, according to Huynh Vinh Ai, Deputy Minister of Culture,Sports and Tourism.
For example, in 2009 the number offoreign visitors to the region reached 1.2 million, three times higherthan in 2000, while local tourists were 8 million compared to 3.4million in 2000, resulting in revenue of 2 trillion VND for thetourism industry.
Tourism in the Mekong Delta region has also created stable jobs and raised the income of local residents, according to Ai.
According to the recently approved plan, the Mekong Delta region wouldconcentrate investment in hotels, high-quality resorts and recreationalsites of international standard.
It would also aim topreserve and enhance the environment, develop festivals to diversifytourism products, train more tourism staff, and conduct research onapplying technology in the tourism industry.
The MekongDelta can be reached by air, land, river or sea. The region has airportsin Can Tho City, Phu Quoc Island , Rach Gia town and Ca Mauprovince.
Under the ministry's plan, two international airports will be built.
Located in southwest Vietnam , the Mekong Delta region, with an areaof nearly 40,000 square kilometres and a population of 18 million,includes 12 provinces and one major city, Can Tho. The region extendsfrom Long An province in the north to Ca Mau province in the south./.
The plan, which extends to 2020, will aid in the country's economictransformation and help reduce hunger and poverty, according to theministry.
The main goals are to diversify tourism products and fully exploit the country's tourism potential.
The plan calls for linkage among provinces and cities in the region andadditional investment in tourism projects of international standards.
Under the plan, the Mekong Delta region would focus on the overseasVietnamese community and Southeast Asian tourism market, especiallyCambodia , while maintaining current markets in Northeast Asia, WesternEurope and North America .
Domestically, the area aims toattract more tourists as well, particularly from HCM City andHanoi , and the southeastern region.
The Delta regionhopes to welcome 2.7 million foreign visitors and 5.3 million domestictourists by 2015, according to the plan.
By 2020, theregion expects to receive 3.9 million foreign tourists and 6.5 millionlocal visitors. By 2015, there would be 37,150 hotel rooms and a totalof 50,000 by 2020.
The aim is to employ 154,700 people in the Mekong Delta tourism sector by 2015 and 236,600 by 2020.
The Mekong Delta region would focus on developing rural tourism(orchard and river tours combined with home-stays); cultural tourism(exploration of ethnic cultures), eco-tourism (tours of ecologicalsystems in the area), and high-quality spa therapy tourism (includingKien Giang province's Phu Quoc Island and Ha Tien town).
In recent years, the Mekong Delta has attained significant achievementsin tourism, according to Huynh Vinh Ai, Deputy Minister of Culture,Sports and Tourism.
For example, in 2009 the number offoreign visitors to the region reached 1.2 million, three times higherthan in 2000, while local tourists were 8 million compared to 3.4million in 2000, resulting in revenue of 2 trillion VND for thetourism industry.
Tourism in the Mekong Delta region has also created stable jobs and raised the income of local residents, according to Ai.
According to the recently approved plan, the Mekong Delta region wouldconcentrate investment in hotels, high-quality resorts and recreationalsites of international standard.
It would also aim topreserve and enhance the environment, develop festivals to diversifytourism products, train more tourism staff, and conduct research onapplying technology in the tourism industry.
The MekongDelta can be reached by air, land, river or sea. The region has airportsin Can Tho City, Phu Quoc Island , Rach Gia town and Ca Mauprovince.
Under the ministry's plan, two international airports will be built.
Located in southwest Vietnam , the Mekong Delta region, with an areaof nearly 40,000 square kilometres and a population of 18 million,includes 12 provinces and one major city, Can Tho. The region extendsfrom Long An province in the north to Ca Mau province in the south./.
