Thanh Hoa (VNA) - Nghi Son island commune in Tinh Gia district, 50km to thesouth of Thanh Hoa city – the capital of the northern central coastal provinceof the same name, has all optimal conditions to develop tourism sustainably.

On more than10km stretching from Hai Binh to Nghi Son island, there are white sandy beacheswith crystal blue water and mild waves. A system of caves and naturallandscapes are judged to be suitable for ecological, cultural and spiritualtourism.

Bordering Tinh Gia’s Hai Hoa beach and Nghe An’s Cua Lo beach makes it easier forNghi Son to develop inter-regional cruise tourism products appealing tovisitors at home and abroad.

From Nghi Sonisland, travellers could explore other attractions in Tinh Gia district, suchas Truong Lam cave, Hao Hao lake, climb to Am Cac pagoda to enjoy leisure andserenity, or travel to Me island by vessels.

Arriving in NghiSon, they could not resist the natural beauty of Lach Bang relic complex, BaLang worship house, temples dedicated to Le Dinh Chau and Dao Duy Tu, Hai Hoabeach and Do Xuyen fish sauce village.

An overview of Nghi Son economic zone – a multi-sectoral economic zone with afocus on basic and heavy industries such as an oil refinery complex, a thermalpower centre, a deepwater port and cement plant, which is expected to becomeone of modern industrial centres of the north central region and the country,is worth seeing.

Tourist routes havebeen facilitated when inner areas are connected with Nghi Son peninsula –Truong Lam cave – Ba Lang craft village, Hai Hoa – Me island – Nghi Son and sixdistrict tourist routes.

Potential inlocal culture and landscapes could bring a big source of revenue to the tourismindustry coming from those foreign workers and experts who are working in NghiSon economic zone. Statistics showed that as of 2015, 35,000 foreign workersand experts worked in the zone and the figure is estimated at nearly 45,000 by2018.

Thanks tostrategic economic location and tourism potential, Nghi Son has lured a largenumber of investors to projects in Nghi Son economic zone, including those involvingtourism. Currently, it records tens of projects worth trillions VND, includingresorts and hotels of four stars and above such as Nghi Son tourism and resortcomplex, Anh Phat and Nghi Son hotels, Bella resort, which not only provide high-qualityaccommodation for experts working in Nghi Son economic zone but also attractmore tourists to the province.

In order to formclose liaison to effectively tap Nghi Son’s tourism potential, the provincialTourism Association partnered with Tinh Gia district to establish the Nghi Sontourism chapter with 15 members, including business owners and tour operatorsin Nghi Son economic zone.

Theestablishment of the Nghi Son tourism chapter lays an important foundation forbusinesses to build a professional tourist environment, improve service qualityand hospitality skills, contributing to attracting more domestic and foreigntourists to Nghi Son economic zone and Thanh Hoa in general.

A representativefrom Nghi Son communal authorities said tourism is a new profession here anddefined it as a spearhead economy.

The commune also offers favourable conditions for investors in terms ofprocedures, mechanisms and call on individuals and collectives to work for tourismbusinesses.

Covering only3.8 square kilometers, Nghi Son peninsula has five historical sites recognisedas provincial cultural-historical relics.

On the island lie Don temple in the northeast, Huu temple in the southeast andNgoc temple in the southwest. Fortresses on Bien Son island dating back to the Ledynasty were used by Tay Son soldiers during their stay. Most of them sufferserious downgrade due to time and limited awareness of relic preservation bylocal residents. Their vestiges still hold valuable historic messages and serveas a depository of live history to be handed down to younger generations.

In order touphold the potential of tourism, local authorities are calling for theinvolvement of businesses, organisations, individuals and collectives torestore and upgrade debilitating relics and improve the scale of localtraditional festivals such as fish worship and Quang Trung festivals, as wellas provide all possible support for businesses to promote local tourism./.