The appeal from green tourism

With their efforts to develop local green and sustainable tourism, destinations in Quang Nam attract more tourists and leave good impressions on international visitors.

Tourists enjoy the serene beauty of a coconut forest

Green destinations

Quang Nam tourism has regained growth momentum and achieved remarkable results. Tourist arrivals totaled more than 7.5 million in 2023, an increase of 1.6 times from 2022, higher than the target. Of the sum, international visitors accounted for over 3.8 million, a 5.6-time growth and domestic visitors approximated 3.7 million. Tourism revenue was VND7,950 billion in 2023, up 2 times over 2022. Social tourism income was VND18,683 billion.

In 2024, international visitor arrivals to Quang Nam have increased sharply from 2023. In the first four months, total tourist arrivals reached nearly 2.5 million, up 8% year on year, including roughly 1.5 million international visitors, up 7%, and nearly 1 million domestic visitors, up 10%.

The tourism sector has organized many activities and events to stimulate tourist demand. Specifically, Quang Nam province hosted the National Tourism Year 2022, theme “Quang Nam - Green destination” with 212 events and activities; coordinated in successful organization of the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022, the National Tourism Conference, the 7th Vietnam International Choir Competition - Hoi An 2023 (attracting nearly 600 artists and actors of 18 choirs from seven countries and territories), Hoi An - Welcome New Year, Hoi An Summer Dance Sea Festival and Tam Ky - Sua flower season Festival, thus helping polish the image of Quang Nam tourism to domestic and international tourists.

Green tourism has been a key global tourism development trend, drawing increasing attention from tourists and travel firms as well as the social community. In 2019, Quang Nam started to deliver a consistent message on green tourism development and then became the first locality in the country to launch a set of provincial green tourism criteria. Destinations in Quang Nam have attracted more tourists and left a good impression on international friends. In April 2023, British travel site Wanderlust named Quang Nam as one of Asia's top four green tourist destinations, with environmentally friendly tourist products. Quang Nam was the only Vietnamese representative on this list along with Bhutan, Singapore and Atauro Island (East Timor). Quang Nam is considered an environmentally friendly destination as local businesses aim for sustainable tourist products.

Promoting investment attraction

Quang Nam Provincial Planning for the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050, states that tourism is one of the four pillars to boost economic growth. Accordingly, Quang Nam is reviewing, adjusting and applying preferential mechanisms and policies, facilitating site clearance and access to long-term preferential loans to attract tourism development projects, especially those with unique modern green tourism products.

At the same time, the province is increasing the investment budget to support tourism infrastructure development, particularly infrastructure that interlinks tourist attractions and destinations and interconnects Quang Nam and neighboring localities with major tourist centers of the country; training and developing tourism human resources; and protecting the tourism environment. Quang Nam is promoting socialized investment by perfecting investment incentive policies and creating an enabling environment for investment activities. The locality is stepping up investment promotion and applying preferential mechanisms and policies to foreign direct investment projects.

The province will also continue to direct the tourism industry to strongly develop tourism products for various tourist needs and tastes in both traditional and potential markets. Quang Nam will improve service quality and upgrade tourism infrastructure and transport infrastructure to serve tourists.

In addition, speeding up digital transformation in the tourism sector is one of the major policies of Quang Nam province. Therefore, the tourism industry needs to focus on accelerating digital transformation, developing smart tourism, maintaining and fostering the effectiveness of the smart tourism software system in Quang Nam province, and applying the tourism stimulus program in 2024. Furthermore, it is necessary to build and deploy a digital data platform on cultural heritages, landscapes, attractions, destinations, service facilities and tourism markets for users to enrich tourism resources.

By 2030, Quang Nam will have a modern, synchronous infrastructure network, develop airlines and seaports as a foundation for tourism development, and attract over 15 million tourists, including 8 million foreigners and 7 million domestic tourists.

By 2050, Quang Nam will achieve comprehensive, modern and sustainable development, imbued with the unique cultural essence of Quang Nam people. The province will strive to become a centrally run city and an important international tourism center by maximizing the value of recognized world cultural heritages and world biosphere reserves.

By Duy Anh, Vietnam Business Forum