Hanoi will establish alliances to jointly develop new products and connect the Hanoi-Lai Chau itinerary in the coming period, Nguyen Tuan Anh, vice chairman of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club, which represents over 1,000 travel agencies nationwide, pledged at a conference to promote tourism cooperation between the two places last week.

Cau May Glass Bridge in Lai Chau Province. Photos: Hoai Nam/The Hanoi Times

Speaking at the conference, Tran Quang Khang, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lai Chau Province, said the partnership with Hanoi will motivate the province's tourism industry to develop more high-quality products.

He said that with its advantages in natural resources and the cultural diversity of 20 ethnic groups living in the area, Lai Chau is building unique products to attract tourists and investors.

Currently, Lai Chau's tourism relies on community-based tourism, ecotourism linked to the value of natural landscapes and scenic spots, and adventure sports tourism. However, he stressed that the travel industry has not yet effectively tapped its potential and advantages.

The deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism added that there is a lack of comprehensive investment in transport infrastructure, and there are no large enterprises capable of leading in creating a modern and high-quality service delivery system.

Tour operators from Hanoi attending the conference proposed various initiatives to develop tourism in Lai Chau. Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, Business Director of AIC Travel Company, pointed out that many travel agencies in Hanoi lack information about Lai Chau, making it difficult to develop products and connect tour routes.

"Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation with Hanoi to increase promotional activities to attract more visitors to Lai Chau," she said.

Nguyen Van Cuong, Director of New Smile Tourism Development and Trading JSC, suggested that Lai Chau's management authorities strengthen support service businesses and travel companies, facilitate their cooperation, and offer reasonable service prices to help each other bring visitors to Lai Chau.

Do Trong Thi, Head of the Department of Culture of Tam Duong District (Lai Chau Province), suggested that in the future, Hanoi's tourism sector should strengthen partnerships between the district and tourism destinations in Hanoi's districts and cities.

O Quy Ho, the longest pass in Vietnam, is one of the most attractive destinations in northwest Vietnam.

To connect and build attractive tours, the Hanoi travel agency delegation visited some typical models and destinations such as Rong May Glass Bridge Resort, Sin Suoi Ho community-based tourism site and Si Thau Chai Village, Ta Phin Village and others.

Phung Thi Hoai Huong, Head of the Culture and Information division of Hanoi's Gia Lam District, emphasized that this activity helped them learn valuable lessons in managing and establishing appropriate mechanisms and policies to support the training of people in building high-quality community-based tourism products.

In the first nine months of 2023, Lai Chau welcomed nearly 800,000 visitors, including nearly 790,000 from Vietnam and 11,000 from abroad. Revenue reached an estimated VND586.2 billion (US$24 million), up 20% year-on-year, achieving 92.9% of the 2023 target.

In August, a delegation from Hanoi visited Danang to study agritourism models there. They also went to the central provinces of Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue, seeking to build new tours to Hanoi.

The city's Department of Tourism will strengthen the development of cooperative tourism programs with provinces and cities in the south, central highlands, and central regions by the end of 2023 to bring visitors to Hanoi.

Hanoi is expected to receive about 22 million visitors this year, a growth of 17.6% compared to 2022. Among these arrivals, the number of domestic tourists is estimated at 19 million, an increase of 10.5% compared to last year. The projected tourism revenue for the year is VND77 trillion (US$3.26 billion), an annual increase of 28.2%.

During September, the trend of taking photos with bicycles full of colorful flowers (considered a characteristic of Hanoi autumn) has spread to the streets of Lai Chau Province. Photo: laichau.gov.vn