For tourists to come and spend rather than "come and go", local tourism needs to diversify its products in the associated area. Obviously, tourism does not have much impact on the total economic demand of each locality if it welcomes a “huge” number of visitors who do not spend any money during their trip.

Such is the affirmation by Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, at the conference on tourism cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta held in Can Tho on Monday, July 4^th, 2020.

Effective cooperation

Most delegates have stated that the HCMC-Mekong Delta Tourism Cooperation has created an effect and achieved very good results despite the serious effects of COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Mr. Tran Hung Viet, president of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, visitors to Ho Chi Minh City mostly want to go to the Mekong Delta, and "that is why we need to cooperate to introduce our tourism products to them."

Mr. Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, says that since the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta signed the cooperation agreement, there have been a lot of positive results in tourism activities so far. The highlight is the formation of a cooperation mechanism to develop tourism in Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta, to launch a tourism promotion website, to effectively implement 3 tourism promotion programs "Những nẻo đường phù sa" (Along Alluvial Roads), "Sắc màu vùng biên" (Colors of Border Areas) and "Non nước hữu tình" (Charming Country).

In addition, the number of tourists to the Mekong Delta during the two months unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic was over 50,000 tourists, accounting for an increase of 14% as compared to that of 2019 in the same period. Investigations and new tour plans have restarted, and so have human resource training activities.

Meanwhile, tourism promotion activities often appear in Ho Chi Minh City tourism magazines and the media portal...

The localities have also agreed on 8 issues to focus on in the coming time such as the formation of a brand identity system for tourism in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta, conferences to introduce regional tourism promotion (July 16-19^th), specialized training courses, an investment promotion conference (quarter 4, 2020) with the participation of the Southeast tourism cluster...

However, Mr. Le Thanh Phong, permanent vice chairman of the Mekong Delta Tourism Association, has suggested that there should be a binding relationship among localities in this tourism cooperation.

"The chairman of this council needs to assign specific tasks to all member localities, not only for one year but for the whole period (until 2025) because some tasks must take time to implement,” says Mr. Phong.

The rivers are typical of the Western region, attracting a lot of visitors. In the photo, domestic tourists in Dong Thap Province - Photo: CHI QUOC

Inevitable tendency

According to Mr. Phong, this cooperation for regional development is an indispensable and necessary trend in the local socio-economic development. Ho Chi Minh City has always identified as a development partner of the Mekong Delta, so current achievements are one of the important prerequisites for the tourism industry to recover under the new normal conditions.

"We believe that this close and sustainable cooperation can help us set goals in the coming time, so visitors will prefer tourism brands in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta in their choice as an indispensable attractive destination in the journey to explore Vietnam and Southeast Asia. We strive to increase the proportion of the tourism industry from 11 to 17% of GRDP of each locality ", Mr. Phong has asserted.

According to Mr. Phong, tourism is an economic industry, so we not only take into account the number of tourists to each locality but also need to calculate their length of stay and expense in each locality. Much special attention should be paid to the diversification of products because the total expense per tourist will not be much if they come in the morning and then leave in the evening.

It is necessary to analyze how they spend on accommodation and other tourism products. In this way, each locality will know how to diversify their products and associated products.

Mr. Duong Tan Hien, vice chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, has considered Ho Chi Minh City as a key tourist destination of the whole country, including 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta, as well as an important tourist market. In 2019, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed about 8.5 million international visitors and 32.7 million domestic visitors. If two-thirds of the visitors continue to choose the itinerary from the tourism cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta, it will create a positive change for regional tourism development. He has proposed, "Because we have both similarities and differences, it is necessary to build a tourism brand across the region and create diversity in the itinerary to the region, aiming to increase the average expense and to extend their length of stay.”

* According to Mr. Nguyen Van Duc (vice-chairman, People's Committee of Ben Tre Province, representative of Southeast tourism cluster), 

It is necessary to have a specific policy to attract tourists.

Up to now, 49 enterprises and service providers in the eastern tourism cluster have participated in the tourism promotion program. In the next 6 months of 2020, as a cluster leader, Ben Tre will work with other members to offer a lot of tourism surveys so as to organize inter-regional and central tourism routes.

In addition, it will coordinate in organizing events, forums, and activities to introduce safe destinations, offering training courses, improving the quality of tourism human resources ... However, each locality needs to study policies appropriate to itself.

* According to Mr. Ngo Hung (vice-chairman, People's Committee of Soc Trang Province, representative of Southwest tourism cluster),

It is essential to coordinate tourism businesses to create new products.

In the coming time, the southwest tourism cluster will continue specifying the content of the agreement signed in Bac Lieu. Accordingly, there will be a regular exchange of information and experience in state management in tourism activities, in coordination with tourism businesses to create new products...

Kien Giang Department of Tourism will also organize a survey tour to introduce its tourism as well as the regional one to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. The cluster will also participate in calling for investment in tourism promotion, human resource training, film making to promote cooperation for tourism development in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta.

* Mr. Huynh Van Son (general director, Saigon Sea Star Company):

It is crucial to develop a night economy.

In this cooperation, I think there should be a clear strategy, especially in developing tourism products, including the night economy. To be successful, the choice of the night market and the walking street products must be in the center. They should be considered as the best local tourism resource to attract tourists.

There must be a professional regulation, binding the responsibility of the State, businesses, and small businesses operating in the night markets to make them elegant, safe, and enjoyable places of local culture and arts.

In the Mekong Delta, we have developed a night market in Phu Quoc, and we are now working with Ben Tre to develop Coconut Street Night and will develop another Phu Quoc night market. The product of night activities in a locality will make its economic, commercial, and tourist development better.