The central coastal province of Binh Dinh has witnessed robust growth of tourism in the last three years. Given the influx of visitors, many fishermen in some coastal villages have turned to tourism. Vo Ngoc Trien is a fisherman living in Nhon Ly commune. Seizing the opportunities of tourism, he has poured some 17,500 USD into a 30-seat canoe to take visitors to tourist attractions of the province’s capital city of Quy Nhon. According to Trien, despite the increase of income from tourism, there still remain issues that need addressing. From only eight canoes in 2015, there are now 50 operating within Nhon Ly commune. Given the growth of tourism, the local government has come up with measures to better manage tourism activities. Binh Dinh welcomed over 3.2 million tourist arrivals in 2016, up 23% year-on-year.

Experts say to attract more visitors and develop tourism in a sustainable manner, the province needs practical strategies and schemes to improve service quality and human resource capacity for fishermen.-VNA