Can Tho International Airport  (Photo: dangcongsan.vn)

Last year the Mekong Delta welcomed nearly 45 million visitors, up 20.4% against 2022, including 1.8 million foreigners. Tourism revenue was estimated at 1.8 billion USD, an increase of 42.6%.

But according to Le Dinh Minh Thy, Director of Vietravel Company in HCMC, Can Tho remains a bottleneck, preventing the region’s tourism from ‘taking off’ because of poor airline connections. The current passenger transport capacity of Can Tho International Airport is much lower than before the COVID pandemic, especially on domestic routes.

There are four air routes from Can Tho, while in the past it was 11 routes. The congestion in air traffic has greatly affected the connections of tours and passengers from other regions to the Mekong Delta.

As a result, Thy said, “If the Mekong Delta wants to build a tourism brand, it will be necessary to coordinate airlines to reorganize air routes from Can Tho airport to other regions nationwide.”

Phu Quoc International Airport has also seen less domestic routes. Although flights to or from Ca Mau Airport are always crowded, the runway restriction for take-off and landing has forced airlines to lower their operating capacity.

Tran Viet Phuong is Chairman of the Mekong Delta Tourism Association (Photo: baodautu.vn)

Tran Viet Phuong, Chairman of the Mekong Delta Tourism Association, admitted that the development of aviation currently sits below tourists’ needs. Plus the inconvenience in road and waterway connections has greatly affected the attraction of visitors to the region.

Phuong underscored the need to link all of the infrastructure for the Mekong Delta tourism to ‘take off’.

“Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta localities have recently signed a regulation on tourism linkage coordination. If a coordination committee is established, the operation will be more efficient. In addition, it’s necessary to mobilize and diversify investment sources for the future development of infrastructure for tourism,” Phuong noted.

Completing highways and opening more interregional and international direct flights to Mekong Delta provinces are considered key to the development of the region’s nascent tourism industry.

Early this year, the Mekong Delta Tourism Association asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Transport to link the Mekong region with more international flight routes and domestic tourism regions. The Association wants continued tax reduction, business licensing fees cut by half, and human resource development for the delta’s tourism.

Many Mekong Delta localities have taken their own initiative by tapping the strengths of each locality and avoiding introducing tourism products that are too similar to others.

Nguyen Thuc Hien, Deputy Chairman of the Can Tho City People’s Committee, said that Can Tho as a central city of the Mekong Delta region has signed tourism cooperation agreements with more than 20 provinces and cities nationwide and is expanding links with many other localities to advertise and develop tourism.

“Can Tho City is focusing on turning out tourism products of high quality, diversity, experience, and high-added value under the market orientation that is suitable to the needs of each target audience group. We are developing and piloting eco-tourism and rural tourism models,” said Hien.

Cao Thi Ngoc Lan, Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Association, urged for a mechanism which involves industries in each locality and tourism affiliates such as transportation, aviation, and services to create a stronger synergy.