Quan Hoa - a land with great potential for developing the "smokeless industry" (Part 2): Soon turning tourism into a key economic sector

Quan Hoa district currently has 40 accommodation establishments with a capacity of approximately 600 people, including 20 homestays. In 2024, the district is expected to welcome 30,000 tourists to its tourist destinations, generating 7.8 billion VND in tourism revenue... This figure is still modest compared to the district's tourism potential.

The Co Phuong cave complex in Say village, Phu Le commune, is one of the spiritual tourism destinations for many visitors.

With its immense tourism potential, since 2019, the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province has approved the "Community Tourism Development Project for Quan Hoa District until 2025, with a vision to 2030". According to the project, the district aims to welcome 11,200 tourists by 2025, with an average growth rate of 25.7% per year; and by 2030, the total number of community tourists will reach 24,700, with an average growth rate of 24.1% per year. Tourism will contribute to creating jobs for more than 500 workers by 2025 and 1,217 workers by 2030...

To achieve the above objectives, the plan has developed a series of priority investment project categories. These include: investment planning projects; tourism resource and environmental protection projects; tourism product development projects; preservation and restoration of historical sites and tourism resources to promote cultural value for tourism development; and community capacity building projects.

However, after 5 years of implementing the project, Quan Hoa district's current tourism competitiveness remains low and has not improved significantly; the development process still harbors elements of unsustainability. Furthermore, the local tourism products lack diversity, distinctiveness, and unique identity, making them less competitive regionally and internationally, and lacking prominent tourism brands. Promotion and marketing efforts have not seen breakthrough improvements and are not commensurate with the demands of tourism development; the quality of tourism human resources is still limited. Investment in tourism remains low; infrastructure development connecting to tourist areas and destinations has not received sufficient investment; and strategic planning and implementation of tourism development plans are slow...

For example, the development of community tourism in But village, Nam Xuan commune, although launched in 2020 with 5 households selected to develop homestay services, has yet to see the development of additional accommodation facilities or any households registering for tourism services. The number of tourists visiting But village, while increasing over the years, remains insignificant, fluctuating around 1,000 visitors per year. Explaining these limitations, Ms. Pham Thi Nhi, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Xuan commune, stated: "Although But village has great potential for community tourism, investment in tourism infrastructure and efforts to promote and attract businesses are still very limited. To further develop community tourism in But village, we hope for investment in infrastructure such as parking lots, restrooms, guest reception areas, road infrastructure, and tourism promotion."

Mr. Le Huu Quyet, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Quan Hoa District, said that after the "Community Tourism Development Project in Quan Hoa District until 2025, with a vision to 2030" was issued and implemented, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and greatly affected the investment and development of tourism in the district. In addition, many shortcomings were revealed during the implementation of the project, especially the scattered investment planning which is no longer suitable for the reality, leading to a low potential for exploiting tourism resources.

To overcome the above limitations, on February 27, 2024, the People's Committee of Quan Hoa District submitted Proposal No. 18/TTr-UBND requesting approval for the development of the Project "Development of Tourism in Quan Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province until 2030, with a vision to 2045" and Proposal No. 94/TTr-UBND dated July 8, 2024, requesting the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to approve the outline and budget for the implementation of the adjusted Project "Development of Community Tourism in Quan Hoa District until 2025, with a vision to 2030".

In Quan Hoa, visitors can immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the mountains, forests, and streams.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quan Hoa District, said: "To maximize the local tourism potential, in the coming time, the district will focus on innovating promotional activities to attract tourists, opening training courses on community tourism knowledge, and providing skills and professional training for households involved in community tourism. At the same time, we will focus on investing capital in tourism infrastructure; calling on businesses to invest in and develop tours and routes connecting with the Pu Luong Eco-tourism Area (Ba Thuoc District) and other tourist destinations and areas in Mai Chau District ( Hoa Binh Province ). The goal is to complete the adjustment of the "Community Tourism Development Plan of Quan Hoa District to 2025, with a vision to 2030" by 2025, striving to exceed the 2024 targets for both the number of tourists and revenue."

"With synchronized solutions and local efforts, along with specific goals and a roadmap for sustainable tourism development, and building tourism into a key economic sector, we are confident that Quan Hoa district will become a relatively developed locality in the western part of Thanh Hoa province," Mr. Dung expressed his expectations.

Article and photos: Dinh Giang

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/quan-hoa-vung-dat-giau-tiem-nang-phat-trien-nganh-cong-nghiep-khong-khoi-bai-2-som-dua-du-lich-tro-thanh-nganh-kinh-te-mui-nhon-239932.htm