'Awakening' the potential of rail tourism

Sharing at the workshop "Linking the development of Binh Dinh tourism products and connecting Da Nang and Khanh Hoa railway tourism products", held on March 31, Ms. Do Thi Dieu Hanh - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VHTT&DL) of Binh Dinh province, said that the railway is not only a means of transportation, but also a special experience.

“Railway travel helps visitors explore the natural beauty, culture and history of regions in a slow, relaxing and emotional way. This type of travel is very suitable for many tourists, especially international tourists,” said Ms. Hanh.

The Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Dinh province also acknowledged that in order to exploit this tourism product more effectively, there needs to be close coordination between the railway industry, travel agencies, tourist destinations and state management agencies.

“We need to build attractive tourism products, combining rail transport and diverse experiential services such as resorts, cultural exploration, and local cuisine ,” the Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Dinh hopes.

Meanwhile, according to Mr. Ha Trong Thang - Deputy General Director of Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, the North - South railway route passes through many provinces and cities with famous scenic spots, which is a great advantage for developing inter-regional tourism products. Connecting Binh Dinh, Da Nang and Khanh Hoa by rail will create an attractive and diverse tourism itinerary, meeting the needs of many customers.

In Binh Dinh, the 10km Quy Nhon - Dieu Tri railway is a branch line that currently only operates a pair of passenger trains SE29, SE30 (Saigon - Quy Nhon) every day, so the remaining train capacity is very suitable for organizing tourist train operations.

Mr. Ha Trong Thang suggested that Binh Dinh province and travel agencies study a plan to organize 2-3 pairs of tourist trains running daily between Quy Nhon - Dieu Tri and have slow-moving and stopping points along the way for passengers to check in and take photos.

Regarding the long-term plan, the Railway Transport Joint Stock Company is ready to provide train cars currently in use on the national railway so that travel agencies can design and renovate the interior to suit the needs of tourists and the orientation of tourism businesses.

“We have preferential policies with the Binh Dinh Tourism Association to build package tours combining trains with sea tourism and cultural tourism. We are ready to cooperate with travel businesses to improve the quality of train cars, professional services on the train, entertainment space and amenities. We will develop specialized tourist ships with luxurious interior designs, featuring Binh Dinh culture,” affirmed Mr. Ha Trong Thang.

At the workshop, the tourism sector of Binh Dinh province introduced a lot of information about the province's potential, products, and tourism stimulus policies. At the same time, delegates, tourism and travel businesses shared many ideas and suggestions to further promote the connection and development of Binh Dinh tourism with other localities, especially railway tourism.

Source: https://vr.com.vn/tin-tuc--su-kien/binh-dinh-%E2%80%98danh-thuc%E2%80%99-tiem-nang-du-lich-duong-sat.html