Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said at a meeting to make recommendations for the building of the master plan on November 2.
The plan is considered to be very important in order to effectively manage and exploit the resources for sustainable tourism development in Ninh Binh, helping tourism become a key economic sector of the province.
Besides being feasible, Tuan said, the plan must create breakthrough and show the specialties between the Ninh Binh’s tourism with other localities.
"The master plan must create specific and competitive tourism products that are also closely linked in the development triangle of Ha Long - Ninh Binh – Hanoi,” Tuan said.
According to Tuan, when assessing the resources, potentials and advantages of Ninh Binh, the plan must consider the Trang An Scenic Landscape that has initially created successful brand, the key destination.

Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site in Vietnam.

Besides, he said, Ninh Binh needs to identify domestic tourists as the leading market and study some key international markets such as Western Europe, Japan, South Korea and ASEAN.
Regarding tourist products, it must consider cultural, ecological and spiritual tourism based on the natural resources of  Bai Dinh Pagoda and Trang An Eco-Tourism Complex key products.
According to the draft plan, tourism will become a key economic sector of the northern province of Ninh Binh by 2025. The province aims to receive 6.7 million visitors this year and 7.6 million visitors by 2020, reaching revenue of VND3 trillion (US$132 million). Last year the province welcomed 6.5 million visitors, earning revenue of over VND1.7 trillion.
Pham Duy Phong, director of the Ninh Binh Tourism Promotion Information Centre, said that Ninh Binh Province is an increasing favorite destination for many tourists in Vietnam. It is land of renowned landscapes, historical relics, traditional trade villages, and varied cuisine. One particularly notable site is the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site in Vietnam.
According to industry insiders, the Ninh Binh tourism industry should pay more attention to developing souvenirs, diversifying local specialties to meet visitors’ different tastes and seeking effective solutions to the issue of overcharging of food and fees.
Nguyen Quy Phuong, head of the travel industry department under the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, said the provincial tourism sector should be concerned about promoting itself to the international market. He also suggested the province invest in its infrastructure and human resources to develop tourism sustainably.
Bui Thanh Dong, the general director of Ninh Binh Province’s Department of Tourism, said that the province is diversifying souvenirs by researching and introducing new ones, such as duplicates of Thai Binh Hung Bao coins, the first coin in Vietnam. He added that the sector will co-operate with related industries to enhance the tourism services of the province and offer favorable conditions to travel agencies.