With increasing tourism revenue and tourist numbers, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has become recognized as a safe and friendly destination for domestic and foreign tourists.
The quality of human resources serving the sector has improved to meet visitor demand. Facilities have also been upgraded, offering a wide range of tourism products.
In the first eight months of this year, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province has received over 9.5 million tourists, earning a revenue of VND2.168 trillion, an year on year increase of 13 percent. The positive result was attributed to the efforts of the province to offer more options to tourists such as discovery and risky tourism types along with traditional tourism products.
According to Ho Van Nien, the Vice Chairman of Ba Ria-Vung Tau People's Committee, about two decades ago, apart from sea bathing, there were only a few tourist sites in the province such as Thich Ca Phat Dai, Niet Ban Tinh Xa and the Statue of arm-outstretched Jesus. Over the past years, local tourism has made dramatic changes, contributing to promote its image towards a more modern style. Accordingly, the infrastructure of the province has been gradually completed. Tourism areas stretching from Vung Tau City to Binh Chau (Xuyen Moc District) and even to Con Dao island district with a variety of services to satisfy all sort of customers. The province has also built luxury four to five star hotels and resorts to serve high-class tourists such as Imperial, Palace, Grand, Petro, Anoasis, Saigon-Binh Chau-Ho Coc Ho Tram Beach Resort & Spa and Six Senses Con Dao.
Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province was successful in drawing tourists by organizing coastal cuisine festivals such as Cuisine fair (Sea Festival 2006), World Cuisine Festival (2010) and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Cuisine festivals (2009 and 2011). To attract more tourists, the province is selecting the most typical local dish and introduce it with every related information to visitors.
Not being only a convalescence, relaxation tourism destination, Ba Ria-Vung Tau also focuses on developing spirit tourism. Many workshops and scientific seminars have been held to evaluate historical value of historic sites and landscapes such as Mieu Ba-Hon Ba (Vung Tau City) and Con Dao. In addition, a couple of surveys have been conducted to effectively exploit the advantages of local craft villages and historical sites to attract tourists and keep them stay longer.
Nien also said in the 2010-2015 period, the local tourism sector targets to develop maritime tourism, turn Ba Ria-Vung Tau into an a industrial and seaport province according to the fifth Provincial Party Congress Resolution. The local tourism sector also takes initiative in seizing opportunities to develop seaport, system logistics services and support industries to provide high class tourism services to international visitors and lure more domestic visitors. The province also boost promotion activities to improve international visitor arrivals by signing cooperation agreements with countries like Laos, Cambodia and Thailand to implement the "Four Countries One Destination" tourism program.
Nien affirmed that the Provincial People's Committee would give instructions to build and carry out tourism development plans every year with detailed and suitable measures to turn Ba Ria-Vung Tau into one of the big convalescence and relaxation tourism destinations of Vietnam.