The 3rd Forum on Tourism Development Linkage between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta - 2024, themed "Mekong Delta Tourism: Towards Green and Sustainable Tourism Development," includes four main programs: a Famtrip to introduce tourism products from the Coconut Land; an exhibition space showcasing digital transformation in tourism and OCOP products from travel agencies in the provinces and cities, and tourism service providers in Ben Tre ; a seminar on the theme "Innovative Tourism Startups - Inter-regional Connection"; and the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement for tourism development between Ben Tre province and Saigontourist Group.
Speaking at the forum, participants highlighted the current situation, the necessity, and recommendations for regional tourism development linkages between Ho Chi Minh City and the 13 provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta. In the past, this linkage has sometimes been weak, largely leaving tourism businesses to fend for themselves, with the role of state management agencies in some localities remaining unclear, and lacking mechanisms and policies to promote regional development.
The Mekong Delta region has great potential and prospects for developing green tourism and ecotourism, but it needs to be sustainable and avoid duplication of products between localities. Last year, many localities attracted many tourists from near and far; including visitors from Ho Chi Minh City, such as: An Giang welcomed 8.5 million tourists, Can Tho nearly 6 million tourists, Ben Tre over 2.2 million tourists, and Ca Mau over 2 million tourists.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism is implementing a program to link and cooperate in tourism development between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta in 2024. The program includes cooperation in: state management of tourism, tourism product development, tourism promotion and marketing, tourism human resource development, investment promotion for tourism development, and participation in tourism activities of the linked localities, with specific activities taking place in the provinces and cities in the region.
The forum on tourism development linkage between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta is held every two years, rotating among the localities within the linked region. This provides an opportunity for localities, organizations, businesses, experts, and state management agencies to meet, exchange ideas, share experiences, and set goals for the future. Through this, the forum aims to further strengthen linkages and cooperation in tourism development and reach consensus on concrete and practical solutions and action plans for regional tourism development linkages between Ho Chi Minh City and the 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta.
Mr. Vo Van Phong, Director of C2T Ben Tre Tourism Media Co., Ltd., shared: "At this time, collaboration is about new products, new experiences, or new business models. The biggest challenge is climate change, salinity intrusion, and changes in tourism products; including adapting to climate change and ensuring that the experience is not only about local culinary culture but also about sustainable products, taking into account environmental issues. The issue of waste and climate change is a hot topic right now. Sustainable tourism needs three pillars: the economic pillar, the community pillar, and thirdly, restructuring and redesigning to upgrade products to become more environmentally friendly."
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