There’re many sea festivals, but not many impressive events

VietNamNet Bridge – A series of sea tourism festivals have been openedin many provinces and cities to welcome tourists this summer. However, expertssay festivals just try to attract more travelers while local authorities havenot paid attention to developing tourism in a sustainable way.
 
Hundreds of flowers in the bloom
 

In order to stimulate the demand and attract more travelers, localauthorities have been rushing to organize sea tourism campaigns, fromculture-tourism weeks to sea festivals.
 
In fact, this is not a new idea at all since regional countries,especially Thailand have always been considering the organizing of tourismfestivals as the opportunities to introduce new tourism products. With theprofessional organization, Thai can turn festivals into a kind of tourismspecialty which can show the specific characteristics of the regions. Withfestivals, Thailand has greatly succeeded in attracting foreign travelers.
 
However, Vietnam is quite another case. Duc Tho, a Viet Kieu (overseasVietnamese), who has returned from the UK to join the trip throughout thecountry, said that with so many beautiful and romantic beaches, Vietnam shouldhave great potentials to develop sea tourism. However, in fact, travelerscomplain that the unprofessional organization of festivals has made the eventssimilar and dim which do not show the special characteristics of differentregions
 
Though being considered a special sea festival in the north, “Carnival HaLong” looked like a “street demonstration” rather than creating specialimpressions which can persuade foreigners to return to Vietnam.
 
“Instead of joining the carnival and enjoying the festival atmosphere likethe carnivals organized in South American countries, the visitors just couldstand at the roadside to watch the event,” Tho noted.
 
The annually held fireworks festival in Da Nang is considered one of therare successful festivals, because it can attract domestic and foreign tourists.However, the 2011’s festival could attract only 2500 foreign travelers, whilethe number of domestic travelers was much higher, about 12,900.
 
When asked why sea festivals in Vietnam still cannot be attractive in theeyes of foreigners, Nguyen Cong Hoan, Deputy Director of Hanoi Redtour, a travelfirm, said that Vietnam invites foreigners to Vietnam, but it does not offerattractive activities. While the festivals’ performance is not reallyattractive, travelers have nowhere to go except having sea bathing, and theyhave nothing to buy except seafood.
 
Especially, Hoan said Vietnam seriously lacks high grade accommodationservices for travelers to stay. Most of luxury hotel room rates at festivallocalities are booked for VIP guests, artists, or sponsors.
 
Local newspapers have reported that a lot of restaurants have beenmushrooming at Do Son Beach in Hai Phong City. However, in fact, there is only afew of restaurants capable enough to serve the groups of foreign tourists withmore than 50 guests.
 
Meanwhile, travel firms complain that they cannot find 5-star hotels inHai Phong, which is the main reason that explains why foreign high gradetourists do not want to stay.
 
At Cua Lo Beach in Nghe An, it is also very difficult to find 5-starhotels, therefore, this is not the destination of luxurious tourists.
 
Festivals not attractive to foreigners, why?
 
According to experts, in order to develop tourism, it is necessary to setup good material facilities and provide diversified tourism products, and thentry to attract tourists with festivals and campaigns. Meanwhile, Vietnam isfollowing a wrong way up: it tries to organize festivals to attract tourists,but it has nothing to entertain guests.
 
Hoan agrees that while Vietnam hopes to attract foreigners with festivals,the majority of them are not really interested in festivals. It is becausefestivals in Vietnam are always too crowded, while traffic jam occurs.Especially, at many festivals, tourists see modern culture instead oftraditional cultural features, the things they expect to find in Vietnam.
 
Source: Tien phong

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