HCM City (VNA) - Sustainable tourism linkages between Ho Chi Minh Cityand the Mekong Delta are needed to tap the huge tourism potential of the twoareas, top leaders have said.

Speaking at the first HCM City and Mekong Delta Tourism Connection Forum heldon September 5 in the city, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said the MekongDelta should focus on building a sustainable tourism brand for the entireregion.

The development of the tourism sector requires efforts from ministriesand agencies to improve marketing, visa procedures, traffic and tourisminfrastructure, and human resources, the Deputy PM said, while suggesting each locality should develop tourism products based on their culturalheritage, local communities and other tourism resources.

The use of digital technology solutions for smart tourism is also vital toenhance connections between destinations, he added.

Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, said that leadersof HCM City and 13 provinces and cities in Mekong Delta should develop acomprehensive tourism cooperation programme for the 2020-25 period with theestablishment of a new council comprised of authorities and enterprises.

The Mekong Delta is home to a huge resource of cultural heritage and relicswhich can promote tourism development, Nhan said.

He proposed that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism promote thepreservation of 100 typical historic and cultural relics in the Mekong Deltaand include them in tourism marketing and promotion programmes.

The Mekong Delta should also focus on efforts to develop one tourism brand forthe entire region, which would help marketing and promotion activities.

HCM City, as a trading gateway with countries in the region and other provincesand cities in the country, has created favourable conditions for tourismcooperation between the city and localities in Mekong Delta, he said.

As many as 1,200 travel firms are operating in HCM City, resulting in anincreasing number of inbound and outbound tours.

However, the number of travel firms in the Mekong Delta remains small,hindering tourism connections between the region and other cities andprovinces.

Last year, the Mekong Delta welcomed 40.7 million visitors, including 3.4million foreign tourists, up 17 percent year-on-year.

However, the growth in tourist arrivals remained modest compared to theregion’s huge potential of natural and cultural heritage sites.

Tran Vinh Tuyen, Deputy Chairman of HCM City’s People’s Committee, said thatlinkages in tourism development were the key driver behind economic, social andcultural development for both HCM City and Mekong Delta.

The average length of stay for visitors in Vietnam is 12.07 days, including4.98 days staying in HCM City.

If visitors choose inter-regional tourism products, this will lengthen theirstay and increase their spending, Tuyen said.

Tourism experts said the Mekong Delta is home to unique ecosystems and diversecommunities unlike anywhere else in the country.

There is much more than floating markets, rice paddies and orchards. There arealso pagodas, agricultural communities, and spectacular rural scenes to visit.

However, many tourists choose to visit typical destinations in the Mekong Deltadue to an overlap in tourism products and uninteresting inter-regional tourpackages.

The region is home to 42 typical tourist attractions while 12 other attractionsare under development.

Authorities agree that underdeveloped tourism infrastructure and lack oftraffic connection via roads, railways, waterways and air are major obstacles totourism development in the region.

A total of 179 culture, sports, tourism and entertainment projects in HCM Cityand 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta are seeking investment withpreferential policies for domestic and international investors.

HCM City is calling for investment in 51 projects with combined capital of 1.81billion USD.

Localities in the eastern cluster in the Mekong Delta – Dong Thap, Long An, TienGiang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long and Tra Vinh provinces – are expected to attractinvestment in 36 projects while the western cluster – An Giang, Kien Giang, HauGiang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau provinces and Can Tho city – has 92projects.

The first HCM City and Mekong Delta Tourism Connection Forum was organised withinthe framework of the 15th International Travel Expo HCM City (ITE HCMC) thatopened on September 5 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in HCMCity.

The expo featured 315 exhibitors from airlines, hotels and resorts, touroperators, and corporations. - VNA