HCM City (VNS/VNA) – TheMekong Delta region enjoyed a boost in tourist arrivals in the first half ofthe year as a result of efforts to diversify tourism products andservices, authorities have said.

The Mekong Delta city of Can Thowelcomed 4.9 million tourist arrivals in the first six months of the year, up9.5 percent year-on-year, according to the municipal Department of Culture,Sports and Tourism.

During the period, the number offoreign tourists visiting the city rose by 13.6 percent to 199,500.

The city’s tourism revenue wasestimated at 2.27 trillion VND (97.84 million USD) in the first half, ayear-on-year increase of 17 percent.

Can Tho city has focused onupgrading tourist attractions and developing new tourism products,especially MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism.

The city organised variouscultural and tourism events to lure visitors such as the Southern TraditionalCake Festival from April 12-16 and Tan Loc Fruit Garden Festival from June 7-9.

Many provinces organised FAM(familiarisation) trips to Can Tho city to promote tourism productlinkages and explore cooperation opportunities.

The tourism sector in Kien Giang provinceimplemented various measures to attract investment and improve the quality oftourism products.

In the first half of the year,the province received nearly 4.3 million tourist arrivals, up 9 percentyear-on-year.

The province’s tourism revenuewas estimated at 4.26 trillion VND (183.6 million USD), up 42.6 percentyear-on-year.

Phu Quoc island is the mostpopular destination in Kien Giang province, with more than 2.2 million visitorarrivals, a year-on-year increase of 36 percent.

Tran Chi Dung, Director of theprovincial Department of Tourism, said the province effectively exploredeco-tourism with exciting experiences at tourist attractions.

The An Thoi - Hon Thom cable carand the casino at Corona Resort and Casino are new destinations on Phu Quocisland.

Dong Thap province also saw arise in the number of tourist arrivals in the first six months of this year,with a total of 1.95 million arrivals.

The province, which ranked thirdin the Mekong Delta region in tourist arrivals, saw strong growth incommunity-based tourism.

Ngo Quang Tuyen, deputy directorof the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said in recentyears many households had begun homestay tourism and welcomed visitors totheir orchid gardens, lotus fields and flower gardens.

The province has developed 78community-based tourism sites that improve economic and environmentalsustainability, Tuyen said.

The province has also focused ondevelopment of agro-tourism sites that offer tourists experiences on localfarms.

Huynh Ngoc Hoang Anh ofSaigontourist’s marketing and communication department said the companyoperates various tours from HCM City to Mekong Delta region by air, seaand river.

Tours designed for travelers bysea are from HCM City to Tien Giang and Vinh Long provinces, while river toursdepart from HCM City to Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap and An Giangprovinces, Anh said.-VNS/VNA