How to make Phan Chu Trinh pedestrian street "captivate" tourists.

The Phan Chu Trinh pedestrian street and the Lam Son Square cultural space ( Thanh Hoa City) were inaugurated at the end of June 2024. This area is expected to become an attractive meeting place for many locals and tourists every weekend.

An attractive cultural and artistic space on Phan Chu Trinh pedestrian street.

Located in the heart of Thanh Hoa City, Phan Chu Trinh pedestrian street and Lam Son Square cultural space (referred to as Phan Chu Trinh pedestrian street) are associated with iconic landmarks of Thanh Hoa province and city such as Lam Son Theater, Lam Son Square, Thanh Hoa Railway Station, etc., and are well-known to tourists from both within and outside the province.

Spanning over 13 hectares, the pedestrian street is divided into four spaces. The first space, Lam Son Square, is the central area for cultural activities, musical performances, fashion shows, folk performances, and street art; the second space includes Ly Nhan Tong, Ho Xuan Huong, and Nguyen Don Tiet streets (with Ly Nhan Tong street decorated with a conical hat theme; Ho Xuan Huong street with a Hoi An theme; and Nguyen Don Tiet street with a colorful theme); the third space, a section of Phan Chu Trinh street – the central area of ​​the pedestrian street, showcases traditional handicrafts, gemstones, feng shui stones, and OCOP products from within and outside the province; and the fourth space includes a children's play area and kiosks selling fast food and beverages near the fountain west of Lam Son Square and the clock tower.

After more than a month of operation, Phan Chu Trinh pedestrian street has attracted nearly 20,000 visitors who came to explore and take photos at its cultural and experiential spaces. The pedestrian street has also attracted 164 businesses, mainly kiosks selling fast food, drinks, souvenirs, traditional handicrafts, folk toys, and some entertainment services for children. According to the Phan Chu Trinh Pedestrian Street Management Board, most businesses comply well with regulations, sell only the goods they registered, adhere to the service, trade, and tourism activity plan, and display prices correctly.

According to Hoang Cao Thang, Director of the Thanh Hoa City Center for Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism and Head of the Phan Chu Trinh Pedestrian Street Management Board: “Cultural and artistic activities on Phan Chu Trinh pedestrian street have been organized in a diverse and rich manner, attracting a great deal of attention from the people and tourists. The pedestrian street management board has developed a cultural and artistic program script for each week of the month, submitting it for approval before implementation. Therefore, cultural and artistic activities in each week are always implemented according to the plan and the approved content. However, besides the achievements, in the initial period of operation and service to tourists, there are still some limitations, such as the performances of cultural and artistic clubs are still repetitive and not truly diverse; the number of visitors to the pedestrian street is still limited; the range of goods sold is not truly diverse; and the awareness of some business households in strictly complying with the rules and regulations of the pedestrian street is not high enough.”

According to representatives of several tourism businesses, building pedestrian streets is an inevitable trend, creating momentum to promote urban economic development and meet the needs of the people and tourists. However, to make pedestrian streets attractive to visitors, they need to create unique characteristics and reflect the distinct cultural imprint of Thanh Hoa province. First, it is necessary to raise awareness among business owners; attract businesses to participate in service provision; promote connections between spaces and link various forms of community culture together. In particular, cultural activities and musical performances need to harmoniously combine tradition and modernity... creating a distinctive and attractive space for all ages. This will require tourists to explore all areas of the pedestrian street to fully appreciate the value of the destination.

In reality, not all pedestrian streets attract visitors, due to the unique characteristics of each street. Besides shopping and food, Phan Chu Trinh pedestrian street could fully develop diverse entertainment and experiential activities based on the existing cultural foundation and service infrastructure of the streets within it. Furthermore, it needs to develop more bars and restaurants with lively live music to meet the evolving trends and needs of tourists.

It is known that, to ensure the smooth operation of the pedestrian street, Thanh Hoa City has established a steering committee, an organizing committee, and a management board, and assigned tasks to the Vice Chairmen of the Thanh Hoa City People's Committee on a weekly basis. In the coming time, the city will continue to research and supplement items related to technical infrastructure, decorative lighting, and symbols to create focal points in the spaces, while gradually changing the management model. This will include inviting businesses to participate in managing, operating, and exploiting the pedestrian street. Along with that, emphasis will be placed on implementing good business practices, diversifying products, and ensuring the quality of goods; while strictly enforcing regulations to affirm the pedestrian street as a cultural destination, leaving a positive impression on the people and tourists visiting Thanh Hoa City.

Text and photos: Hoai Anh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/de-pho-di-bo-phan-chu-trinh-niu-chan-du-khach-221681.htm