The master plan, approved by the Prime Minister last year, aims to turn the Mekong Delta into a special tourist area of the country, with the goal of welcoming around 34 million tourists, including 3.5 million foreigners by 2020, and about 52 million visitors, including 6.5 million foreigners by 2030. The region strives to offer about 53,000 hotel rooms by 2020, some 15 percent of which are third to five-star ones. The room number is projected to increase to 100,000 in 2030.

Meanwhile, the regional tourism sector targets generating jobs for nearly 230,000 workers by 2020, including 77,000 direct jobs. By 2030, the respective figure will be 450,000 and 150,000.  

Priority will be given to developing waterway, ecological, cultural heritage tourism products which are particular to the region besides the mainstay of sea and entertainment tourism, supported by tours of rural areas, historical relics, and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions). 

The Prime Minister’s Decision 2227/QD-TTg approving the master plan also pointed out 10 measures involving planning and management mechanisms, investment mobilization, human resources development, promotion activities, connectivity, the protection of natural resources and environment protection in tandem with climate change response, scientific-technological application, and national defence-security.

Participants discussed measures to carry out the master plan regarding infrastructure, transport, human resources, among others. 

The event was co-hosted by the VNAT and the Can Tho People’s Committee.