Ba Ria - Vung Tau, blessed with a moderate climate, mountains, forests, seas, islands, and nature reserves, has long been an attractive tourist destination. In recent years, the province has taken advantage of local potential to boost tourism development. It has also strengthened tourism promotion activities and diversified tourism products to meet the various needs of domestic and foreign visitors.
Ba Ria - Vung Tau promotes community tourism (Photo: VOV)
These days Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is busily preparing several entertaining programs for Tourism Week 2024, scheduled from December 27 to 29. This highly anticipated event together with a variety of cultural, arts, sports, and festival activities held throughout the year are among activities to highlight the province's tourism brand.
Deputy Director of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau provincial Department of Tourism, Ms. Tran Thi Thu Hien, said: “In addition to developing high-quality tourism products and enhancing visitor experiences, we have focused on organizing engaging events for visitors in order to showcase the province's rich, diverse tourism offerings.”
Ba Ria - Vung Tau province has implemented several activities to bolster its image as a premier destination including organizing tourism promotion conferences, enhancing collaborations with neighboring localities, and conducting fact-finding tours to explore new routes with travel agencies, media representatives, and tourism stakeholders.
At the opening ceremony of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Tourism Week 2023. (Photo: Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial People's Committee)
Reporter Mai Phuong of Ho Chi Minh City Television said: “Participating in these trips allows me to create stories showcasing Ba Ria - Vung Tau’s destinations. I believe that through media coverage, more people will discover and visit the province.”
The province has also refreshed communication activities to promote tourism, extending its reach internationally. In April 2021, Ba Ria - Vung Tau tourism made its debut on BBC Global News, marking its first appearance on a global stage. Building on this success, a partnership with CNN was launched in October 2022 to promote the province as part of a long-term campaign running from 2020 to 2025. This international media engagement is seen as a game-changing approach to attracting global attention.
These communication efforts have helped tourism businesses and investors promote tourism products, enabling the tourism sector to recover and grow post-COVID-19.
Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, Mr. Do Phuoc Trung, said: “In addition to on-site promotion, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province has participated in large-scale tourism fairs both nationally and internationally. In the first nine months of this year, the province has successfully organized two tourism promotion conferences in Seoul and Busan, South Korea. Through fairs and conferences, the image and tourism products have been further promoted.”
The province's promotional campaigns have focused on attracting tourists from established markets, such as South Korea, while exploring opportunities in emerging markets like India and some countries with cold winters. Efforts include partnerships with shipping lines and the development of niche offerings, such as golf tourism, to cater to affluent travelers.
Pham Ngoc Hai, Chairman of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Tourism Association, said: “Ba Ria - Vung Tau boasts approximately 146 destinations. We are promoting these to domestic and international tourists, particularly targeting Korean visitors with golf tourism packages that combine recreation, sightseeing, and relaxation on the beach.”
Under the "Strategy on Tourism Development in Ba Ria - Vung Tau to 2030, with a Vision to 2050" and the "Vietnam Tourism Marketing Strategy to 2030", the province aims to sustain its appeal in key markets such as Northeast Asia and ASEAN as well as experts living in Vietnam, while expanding into emerging regions like India and the Middle East.
In the 2026 - 2030 period, the province will maintain and expand the traditional markets in Northeast Asia, Europe, ASEAN, North America, Russia, and the Atlantic, increase the market share of highly-spending tourists, and diversify markets toward sustainable growth.
To this end, communications, promotion and market development will be carried out in a more professional, creative, modern and effective manner to raise the status of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau tourism brand and attract more tourists, making tourism a spearhead economic sector for the province and creating momentum for local socio - economic development.