The southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau held a workshop on August 29 to seek ways to develop tourism in tandem with environmental protection as part of the sea festival now underway in the province.
A corner of Vung Tau city, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province
At the event, participants delivered presentations on how tourism impacts the marine environment and proposed solutions to develop plastic-free tourism, apply new technology in marine environment management and enhance Viet Nam’s marine environmental protection to foster sustainable sea-based tourism.
The Ba Ria – Vung Tau Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the local Tourism Association briefed attendees on the strengths of the province’s marine tourism and steps it has taken to build its tourism brand.
Ba Ria – Vung Tau has worked to make the province a regional hub for tourism and entertainment, said Pham Ngoc Hai, President of the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Tourism Association. It has heavily invested to develop five key tourism clusters, including Vung Tau City, Long Hai – Phuoc Hai, Dinh Mountain, Binh Chau – Ho Coc and Con Dao Island, he noted
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies Tran Anh Tuan suggested that the province should sustainably develop the tourism industry by promoting cultural values, tourist attractions and historic relics, and protecting the environment.
The province must also diversify tourism products and strengthen supply chain and services, while local schools and enterprises need to provide tourism workers with necessary skills, particularly in foreign languages, information technology and international regulations.
The Ba Ria-Vung Tau Sea Festival opened in the southern province on August 28 as part of activities marking the country’s 73rd National Day (September 2).
Themed “Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Aspiration, Love and Sea”, the festival aims to bolster investment, trade, tourism and economic development of the province and connect it with other coastal localities.
The festival has attracted more than 400 businesses and cultural organisations from 26 provinces and cities to participate in economic, cultural and sports activities during the seven-day event.
It includes a trade fair, a kite performance, a beer festival and a series of seminars and workshops on trade and tourism promotion as well as environmental protection.
An outdoor electronic dance music concert titled “Sea Run” will also take place, featuring pop star Son Tung M-TP alongside a parade of classic Vespa scooters. Exhibitions will be organised to showcase calligraphy works, orchid flowers and sand statues.
Some 500,000 visitors are expected to flock to the festival, which ends on September 3.