Quang Ninh possesses tourism advantages with its two heritage areas of Ha Long and Yen Tu, yet the appeal of these destinations has not adequately spread to other areas. Strengthening connectivity to develop inter-regional tourism products will contribute to promoting the values of these heritages, expanding visitor flows, extending lengths of stay, and enhancing the competitiveness of Quang Ninh tourism.
The Ha Long Bay World Natural Heritage and the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac World Cultural Heritage are destinations with significant appeal to international tourists visiting Quang Ninh. The comprehensive expressway system is expected to enable visitor flows from Ha Long to continue their journey to mountainous and border tourist destinations such as Binh Lieu, Luc Hon, Hoanh Mo, or Mong Cai thanks to reduced travel times. However, the number of visitors traveling from the Ha Long tourism hub to these destinations remains limited. In reality, favorable transport infrastructure merely facilitates travel, which is still not enough to form a continuous flow of visitors between destinations. To create substantive connectivity, attractive inter-route products, convenient tour itineraries, and close coordination between travel businesses and local service providers are required.
Ms. Nhu Thi Ngan, General Director of Hanoi Tourism Company, contributed: “A distinctive tourism program system should be developed, in which each commune, ward, and tourism center has a unique product bearing its own hallmark. Products should not compete or overlap with each other, but rather complement one another to form a diverse tourism ecosystem, providing tourists with many new experiences and giving them reasons to return to Quang Ninh multiple times without feeling bored.”
For tourism products to reach more visitor segments, destination connectivity must go hand in hand with market linkages. Hanoi, in its role as a source market and a convenient transportation hub to Quang Ninh, can coordinate with the city to design itineraries combining heritage sightseeing, leisure stays, cultural experiences, and healthcare.
Mr. Dang Duy Trung Hieu, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Tourism Association, said: “International visitors are increasingly interested in wellness tourism programs combined with cultural discovery and experiences aimed at physical and mental balance. This is an opportunity to build itineraries connecting the two heritage sites of Yen Tu and Ha Long into unique tourism products of Quang Ninh. And in that regard, Hanoi plays the role of a gateway bringing visitors to these destinations. Currently, we are stepping up the promotion of the Ha Long - Yen Tu product to high-end visitor segments in European, Japanese, Chinese, and Singaporean markets.”
In addition, Quang Ninh can also expand its tourism space through cooperation with neighboring localities to develop inter-regional and cross-border connecting products. Mr. Truong Duc Hai, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hon Ngoc Vien Dong Tourism Company, a unit with nearly 20 years of welcoming caravan tourists, pointed out that Quang Ninh has many advantages to develop caravan tourism and self-drive tourism products, thanks to its diverse terrain, climate, scenic advantages, and developed road infrastructure.
Mr. Hai shared: “I believe it is necessary to strengthen regional connectivity between Quang Ninh, Lao Cai, and Lang Son, forming border tourism routes connecting from the sea to the mountains. The flexible connection between border gates will help extend itineraries, entering through one border gate and exiting through another, thereby enabling businesses to design diverse products tailored to visitors' needs.”
The proposals from businesses show that to form inter-regional products, advantages in transportation and landscapes are not enough. Localities need to coordinate to resolve obstacles in tour organization, border crossing activities, and service connections along the entire route. Only when these conditions are addressed can businesses build itineraries tailored to the needs of each visitor group, turning connectivity from an idea into a commercially viable product.
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