Tourism activities are bustling once again in the first quarter of this year in the provinces and cities in the major tourism regions of the Southeast and the Mekong River Delta.

Taking advantage of the many resources and good weather, tourism activities in many localities in these regions continue to prosper and build momentum.

Tourism business is bustling with diverse product chains, tours, events, sports and cuisine.

According to the People's Committee of Hồ Chi Minh City, in the first quarter, the number of domestic tourists to the city reached over 7.5 million, an increase of nearly 60 per cent, while international arrivals reached over 1 million, or double the figure of the same period last year.

Revenue from accommodation and catering services in the city increased by over 37 per cent, and travel service revenue increased by 84.5 per cent over the same period in 2022.

This result was achieved because the city continues to deploy typical tourism products effectively so that "Each district at least has one tourism product", such as introducing new itineraries to historical sites. There are also different cultural and historical tours in District 1 and District 10.

In addition, the city continuously organised events, creating cultural and tourism highlights to attract tourists in the first months of the year with such festivals as Vietnamese New Year, the  Nguyễn Huệ Spring Flower Festival, the Book Street Festival, the Golf Tourism Festival, and the Áo Dài (Traditional Long Dress) Festival.

Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu Province welcomed over 3.4 million visitors, of which international arrivals reached over 48,000, an increase of more than 42 per cent over the same period in 2022.

Sea and island destinations, resorts, visits to cultural and historical sites, and ecotourism continued to attract tourists in large numbers, especially during weekends and holidays.

In the Mekong Delta, Kiên Giang Province welcomed nearly 2.3 million visitors, in which, Phú Quốc - a prominent island destination on the domestic and international tourist map - welcomed more than 1.5 million tourists, an increase of over 43 per cent.

Tourism enterprises in Kiên Giang have synchronously implemented solutions to link, cooperate and promote tourism product development, which has better met the needs of tourists.

According to Cần Thơ Statistics Office, in Q1, the city's revenue from hotel accommodation reached nearly VNĐ410 billion (US$17.5 million), a more than twofold increase compared to the same period in 2022.

Since the beginning of the year, tourist zones and attractions have paid special attention to the improvement of the landscape and environment, new products, activities and events to attract tourists to the area such as the Spring Fair, Ninh Kiều Lantern Night, and an art flower garden.

Product development, brand promotion

Based on results achieved in the first months of the year, the local tourism industry in the Southeast has proposed many solutions to continue to diversify products, and expand markets to attract tourists.

Nguyễn Thị Anh Hoa, director of the Department of Tourism of HCM City said the city continues to implement a tourism development strategy, improving quality and diversifying products, focusing on enhancing communication, destinations and brands in the city.

The city not only introduces festivities and destinations in the city, but also connects with localities in the Southeast, Mekong River Delta, Central Coast and Central Highlands, the Red River Delta, and beyond to promote tourism.

The city is also strengthening coordination among provinces and cities in digital transformation to increase the effectiveness of tourism promotion; building a common database among localities, and helping businesses build online and inter-regional products.

According to the Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu provincial tourism authority, the province's tourism industry this year will strive to draw about 13.9 million visitors, and increase revenue from travel and accommodation services by over 8 per cent compared to last year.

Building and developing the province into a high-quality, world-class tourism centre is a key part of its strategy, especially increasing the experience for visitors in the direction of green and environmentally friendly tourism.

Bùi Quốc Thái, director of the Kiên Giang provincial tourism authority, said that to continue to attract tourists, the province stepped up publicity and promotion of destinations such as Phú Quốc Island, Hà Tiên City, and Rạch Giá City.

Developing diversified products, the provincial tourism authority cooperated with agriculture and trade sectors, districts and cities of the province to promote agricultural products, specialties and handicraft villages.

A representative from Vietravel said that to attract tourists with higher spending levels, the region needed to improve and refresh products, especially nightlife services, which would need proper investment to create attractive experiences.

“Localities can focus on developing tourism products, and the nightlife economy such as products associated with community culture, entertainment, cuisine, cultural and art events,” he said. VNS