Authorities and tourism businesses in Hon Son and Nam Du, two islands off Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam should jointly develop new, unique travel products and offer travel products, services at reasonable prices so as to develop local tourism in the long run, according to business leaders in the field.

They made the suggestions at a tourism-related conference co-held early this week by the Kien Giang Tourism, Trade and Promotion Center and the administration of the province’s Kien Hai District, with the participation of more than 20 travel agencies in the country.

Le Minh Tam, director of Long An Tourist An Giang Company, said Kien Hai boasts natural landscapes, hospitable people, budget-friendly and tasty local dishes.

Tourists take a boat tour to explore Hon Son Island, off Kien Hai District, Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

However, around 60 percent of local people in Hon Son and Nam Du do tourism businesses and many of them were found to have offered their services at exorbitant prices. They should keep the prices reasonable and stable so that tourists will visit and stay longer in the islands, Tam suggested.

Tran Hoang Son, board chairman and general manager of the Vinh Hoi Hotel in Gia Lai Province, located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region, recommended that the district should make the best use of its human resources to promote the local tourism and cultural values.

The participating travel agencies said both Hon Son and Nam Du offer similar tourism products and services. Visitors to the islands normally engage in main activities such as sampling local seafood, going diving to explore coral reefs, and taking a bike tour to experience the daily life of the island inhabitants.

Le Binh Tri, vice-chairman of the Kien Hai administration, said both Hon Son and Nam Du boast stunning natural landscapes but the number of travel products currently on offer are modest and the islands have barely seen major tourism investors.

The district is set to work with relevant agencies to seek measures to stabilize travel product prices, tackle household waste, and address other issues such as unauthorized tours in an attempt to develop local tourism, Tri said.

Le Binh Tri, vice-chairman of the administration of Kien Hai District, Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam said the district will adopt measures to better serve tourists. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

Similarly, Nguyen Viet Anh, deputy director of the Kien Giang Tourism, Trade and Promotion Center, suggested that the district and travel firms should join hands to boost local tourism in a professional manner.

The center will continue to launch more tourism promotion events to woo more international and domestic visitors to the islands in the upcoming holidays such as Christmas and the Lunar New Year, Anh elaborated.

Data from the Kien Hai administration showed that Kien Hai is home to 23 islands of various sizes. In 2018, the provincial administration decided to establish two tourist sites in Hon Son and Nam Du. Over the past couple of years, Hon Son has welcomed some 200,000 tourist arrivals.

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