A seminar took place in the central coastal province of Ha Tinh on April 13 to discuss solutions to help the local tourism sector recover from the consequences of the marine environment incident last year.
In April 2016, illegal wastewater discharged by Hung Nghiep Formosa Steel Corporation polluted the sea along more than 200km of coastline in the four central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, causing fish to die en mass and devastating the environment, robbing thousands of people of their livelihoods and severely damaging the local economy, including the tourism industry.
At the seminar, tourism officials and scientists made recommendations on what the province should do to aid the recovery of the tourism sector as the local marine environment has fully been restored.
They stressed Ha Tinh’s great tourism potential as it is home to a series of historical and cultural heritage sites as well as a 137km coastal line.
Vu The Binh, Vice President of the Viet Nam Tourism Association, said Ha Tinh should cooperate closely with other central provinces in tourism development.
Participants pointed to the underdeveloped infrastructure and poor management and planning of tourism, saying that they are the causes that hinder the province from taping its full potentials.
Restricted range of tourism products and low level of competitiveness are also other shortcomings.
In a bid to improve the local tourism, Ha Tinh has attracted a number of projects, including the Vinpearl - Cua Sot resort-entertainment complex, a dog race facility and the Xuan Thanh golf course.