Forum discusses cultural tourism development in Vietnam

ABO/NDO- A forum on Vietnam’s cultural tourism development took place in Hanoi on April 14, with participants sharing their experiences in effectively building, developing, and exploiting this potential field.

Addressing the event, Nguyen Trung Khanh, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), highlighted an urgent need to develop sustainable tourism in association with cultural and heritage value preservation and promotion.

He said the sector, well aware of the role of culture in socio-economic growth, has made cultural products one of its priorities listed in the strategies for Vietnam’s tourism development by 2030 and for tourism products development by 2025.

Cultural tourism is also named among 13 cultural industries of Vietnam, he added.

At the forum (Photo: NDO).

Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association (VTA), named a series of local cultural tourism products including tours discovering heritages in ASEAN member states and in central Vietnam, as well as such festivals as the Hue festival of arts, Nha Trang beach festival, Ha Long carnival, Central Highlands gong festival, and Da Lat flower festival.

Tours to craft villages, and real-world performances like Hoi An Memories Land, The Quintessence of Tonkin, and A O Show are also a draw to foreign visitors, he noted.

The country has been honoured in many international awards as a leading destination in Asia for heritages, food, and culture, Binh said.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong introduced participants to a project on Vietnamese legacies, designed to promote the country's tourism and culture through art performances, and sound and light technology in programmes lasting between 60-80 minutes. He also unveiled the sector’s plan to promote itself via connection with the cinematic area this year.

The forum was part of the ongoing Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) in Hanoi, also themed “Cultural tourism”. Lasting until April 16 and featuring 450 pavilions from 51 provinces and cities nationwide and 15 foreign countries and territories, the fair is expected to attract over 60,000 visitors and representatives from 3,000 businesses.

(Source: NDO)