CÀ MAU — The southernmost province of Cà Mau will focus more on tourism development, especially with its annual “Cà Mau - Destination” programme to fully utilise its abundance of tourism advantages.

Cà Mau Province has many things to offer, especially the second largest primeval mangrove ecosystem in the world after the Amazon forest of South America. 

U Minh Hạ National Park is another significant destination, with immense Melaleuca forests listed by UNESCO as one of the world's biosphere reserves.

Meanwhile, the GPS 0001 national coordinate landmark in Ngọc Hiển District’s Đất Mũi Commune is a popular tourist site where visitors can take photos and enjoy the scenery.

Cà Mau also features many famous delicious dishes made from local specialties such as Cà Mau sea crab, land shrimp, mudskipper and U Minh fish, among others. 

Every factor has created unique competitive advantages for Cà Mau’s tourism scene.

However, according to the director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Trần Hiếu Hùng, the local transport infrastructure system of Cà Mau has not met the requirements for efficient tourism development, resulting in a limited number of signature tourism products.

The lack of quality accommodation facilities, food services and entertainment activities at tourism destinations poses another challenge, together with weak human resources. 

Since local ingredients are only processed according to traditional methods, without much creativity and improvement, Cà Mau has failed to meet the increasing culinary needs of tourists.

Despite some improvements, Cà Mau’s tourism needs a further boost as many tourism products have not been properly invested in, Hùng said, adding that nightlife entertainment activities should be planned as well to lengthen the stay of tourists.

In order to make Cà Mau an attractive destination, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will focus on its “Cà Mau - Destination" programme, an annual tourism programme carried out since 2021, consisting of a series of engaging events and activities to attract tourists. 

Relevant authorities will conduct market research, develop new tourism products, innovate tourism promotion methods and focus on improving the quality of human resources for tourism.

In addition, priority will be given to promoting the application of information technology so that businesses can easily access and advertise tourism products on digital platforms.

It is essential to issue preferential mechanisms and policies to support investors and encourage them to participate in tourism activities, and upgrade transport infrastructure to increase accessibility to tourism resources, especially in key tourism areas of the province.

Cà Mau is the southernmost province of Việt Nam, bordering the sea on three sides.

According to the department, during this year's Hùng Kings and International Labour Day holiday, (from April 29 to May 3 this year), it saw around 222,700 visitors, up 267 per cent year-on-year. — VNS