Son La province is calling for investment in its Moc Chau National Tourism Zone, which is expected to become a driving force for the tourism development of the locality as well as the whole northern midland and mountainous region.
At a seminar highlighting Moc Chau in Ha Noi on December 16, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Cam Ngoc Minh released that the Prime Minister recently approved a master plan for the development of the tourism zone by 2020, with a vision to 2030.
Under the plan, the zone, covering 206,000 hectares in Moc Chau and Van Ho districts, will feature diversified and unique tourism products with high competitiveness along with natural landscapes and ethnic cultural identities.
The zone is expected to welcome 1.2 million holidaymakers by 2020 and 3 million by 2030, generating revenues of 1.5 trillion VND (71.4 million USD) and 6 trillion VND (285.7 million USD) respectively.
It will target visitors from the Red River Delta and the northern midland and mountainous region as well as those from foreign markets such as Western Europe, Northern America, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.
The zone will include three key tourism centres, namely the Moc Chau relaxation centre, the Moc Chau eco-tourism centre and the Moc Chau recreational centre.
Community-based tourism villages will be formed in Dong Sang, Muong Sang, Tan Lap communes in Moc Chau district and Chieng Khoa commune in Van Ho district.
The province also plans to establish a transnational tourist route connecting Moc Chau and Laos via Long Sap border gate and intensify connectivity with other ASEAN member countries like Thailand and Myanmar.
According to the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Moc Chau has enjoyed a continuous increase in the number of tourists, from 288,000 arrivals in 2010, to 600,000 in 2013 and about 850,000 in 2014, mainly during holidays, winters and springs when plum and peach flowers blossom, and in Mong ethnics’ New Year festival in September.