Tourism development needs to build a local brand name

According to experts, Binh Duong has good conditions for the development of many types of tourism. However, Binh Duong tourism is still fragmented, unconnected, and in small scale...

Development is not commensurate with potential

According to the general assessment, in recent years, tourism industry of Binh Duong has prospered, the number of tourist arrivals in Binh Duong has increased rapidly, many tourism works have been built up...

At Binh Duong Tourism Science Conference "Enhancing competitiveness, turning towards sustainable development" was held at the end of 2018, Professor Tran Ngoc Them, Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said Binh Duong had many destinations to attract domestic and foreign tourists. However, in terms of space, tourist destinations in the province are small and scattered; mainly depend on traditional resources and traditional business forms, based on habits.

In order to promote tourism development, Binh Duong needs to build specific and branded destinations. In photo: Youth Union members visit the tunnels of Iron Triangle in Ben Cat Town.

Many experts believe that services for tourists in Binh Duong have not had a link. According to Dr. Huynh The Du, Director of Fulbright University's economic training program, the actual survey in Binh Duong showed that services in the first round, such as tour operators, travel agents... have quite small scale and quantity. Besides, travel businesses in Binh Duong mainly come from Ho Chi Minh City; catering services, medical care, souvenirs, duty-free shops are only at average level...

"Binh Duong tourism has its own characteristics, has the potential for tourism development of all kinds, but there is a lack of regional cooperation”, said Nguyen Quy Phuong, Director of Travel Department under General Department of Tourism. Mr. Phuong also said that Binh Duong was a province with a road traffic system that was connected with many provinces and cities in the region. In terms of waterways, Binh Duong is located between 3 big rivers (Saigon, Dong Nai and Be River), and can connect with major ports in the South and Mekong Delta provinces. However, most tourist arrivals to Binh Duong are mainly by road carried by travel businesses. This shows that the link between tourist destinations of Binh Duong province and other localities is not strong.

To create unique tourism products

Experts assumed that to overcome the situation of small and scattered tourist destinations, Binh Duong needed to create large-scale destinations, gathered many tourist types closely related to each other, creating into a tourist area where visitors are able to use all services in one location without moving to elsewhere. “This model has been well implemented by Dai Nam tourist area. However, Binh Duong needs more destinations like that. For example, in Thuan An Town, it is recommended to preserve and develop Lai Thieu brand name, build a large tourist area, combine with other types, like eco-tourism, rural tourism, handicraft villages, culinary tours, experiential tourism…” Professor Tran Ngoc Them proposed.

Experts also said that although Binh Duong province had Binh Duong tourism development plan till 2020, and the project of developing specific tourism products of Binh Duong in 2015, but overall, in the planned areas, there is a lack of important highlights to show the image of originality and peculiarity.

According to Mr. Phuong, in order to promote tourism development, Binh Duong must build a destination brand name, which is a combination of perceptions, feelings and attitudes of tourists towards the destination, allows tourists to establish a comparable image of the destination with other destinations, is tied with core values ​​and characteristics of the destination, expressed in characteristics and values ​​of travel services at that destination. The brand not only attaches to the image of the destination from tourists’ perception but also goes along with activities of travel managers.

Professor Tran Ngoc Them said, Southwest Iron Triangle in Ben Cat Town was built completely, not inferior to Cu Chi Tunnels of Ho Chi Minh City. However, to turn this site into an attractive tourist destination, it needs some changes. Namely, Binh Duong may develop this place into a tourist area specializing in tunnels, a museum where visitors can learn about the history of tunnels, culture of tunnels, life in tunnels... of all the famous tunnels not only in Vietnam but also in other countries in the world.

Reported by Khanh Dang – Translated by Ngoc Huynh