Indian participants at the conference. (Photo: VNA)Binh Thuan (VNA) – The ConsulateGeneral of India in Ho Chi Minh City and the Department of Culture, Sports andTourism of the south-central province of Binh Thuan on December 22 organised aconference to promote tourism linkages between India and Vietnam’s coastal provinces.
At the event, participants introduced thetourism strengths and potential of Binh Thuan and India, their newtourism products and trade cooperation.
Deputy Director of the provincial Departmentof Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Lan Ngoc said that with the advantages ofa long coastline, beautiful beaches, nature reserves, and typical culturalfestivals, Binh Thuan has emerged to become a safe, friendly tourist destinationwhich is liked by both domestic and international tourists.
Binh Thuan now has about 600accommodation establishments with a total of nearly 19,000 rooms, 557apartments and 462 villas. Along with high-end tourism products such as golf,luxury beach resorts, marine sports tourism, and off-road sports tourism, BinhThuan is developing tourism product lines such as green tourism, tourismactivities combined with natural resources preservation and environmentalprotection, cultural tourism products associated with festivals, sightseeingand experiencing the daily life of local people. The province has also promotes thedevelopment of eco-tourism, adventure tourism, and wellness tourism.
In 2023, Binh Thuan welcomed about 8.3 millionvisitors, including about 220,000 foreigners. The number of visitors to theprovince increased by 16.28% a year and the number of foreign tourists doubled a year, including those from India.
The official said that India is alarge market that Binh Thuan’s tourism industry is aiming at. The provincehopes that Indian travel companies will pay more attention to Binh Thuan inparticular and Vietnam in general.
She said it is expected that Binh Thuan willhave an airport with a capacity to welcome about 2 million passengers peryear, which will help the province to attract more foreign tourists.
Pankaj Kumar, a representative of theConsulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Binh Thuan and Indiahave cultural similarities. The province has strengths in sea, islands,forests, lakes and waterfalls to organise outdoor activities.
He said Indian tourists are interested inoutdoor activities and exploring local culture.
Participants at the event proposedsolutions to connect with the Indian market and attract more tourists from the South Asian country./.
