Ninh Binh tourism in 2024: Opportunities and challenges

With a complex of majestic limestone mountains interspersed with rivers known as "Ha Long on land", Ninh Binh has attracted a large number of tourists.

With a complex of majestic limestone mountains interspersed with rivers known as "Ha Long on land", Ninh Binh has attracted a large number of tourists.

Over the past 10 years, Ninh Binh tourism has undergone a spectacular development process, becoming a destination not to be missed on the tourist map of international visitors. With a complex of majestic limestone mountains interspersed with rivers known as "Ha Long on land", Ninh Binh has truly attracted a large number of tourists.

The attraction of the ancient capital has become even stronger since the Trang An scenic complex was named by UNESCO on the list of world cultural and natural heritage in 2014. However, with the opportunities that nature endowed, Ninh Binh tourism is also facing many challenges.

Ripe rice season in Tam Coc - Bich Dong, Ninh Binh.

Environmental challenges

According to a report from the Ninh Binh Department of Tourism, in 2023, Ninh Binh will welcome more than 6.5 million visitors, an impressive number with a growth rate of 77% compared to the previous year. Of these, domestic visitors dominate with over 6.1 million arrivals, while international visitors have also reached over 450 thousand arrivals. Revenue from tourism reached more than 6,516 billion VND, double that of 2022, reflecting the outstanding growth of the tourism industry here.

One of the most visible indicators of the strong growth of Ninh Binh tourism industry is the increase in the number of accommodation service establishments. From only about 20 establishments registered on online hotel booking sites such as Booking or Agoda in 2012, this number has increased to nearly 500 establishments by 2024. This increase not only meets demand. increasing number of tourists but also contributes to promoting the local economy, creating a large number of jobs not only for people in the province but also for neighboring provinces such as Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa...

Talking to reporters, the Product Manager of a travel agency from the French Republic said: After visiting the hotel and restaurant, we were both happy and worried. Glad to have more choices, worried about the major environmental consequences, the uniqueness of products and Ninh Binh's unique identity are being "marketized", "hybridized" and "deformed". ”. The poetic roads are filled with parked cars, making the experience incomplete.

Environmental issues are issues that will greatly affect the attraction of tourism. “A destination may be extremely crowded this year, but next year it could be half that or worse, if an environmental incident occurs. The most recent example is in Northern Laos, where early last year there was a serious air pollution episode due to hot weather accompanied by people burning straw everywhere, then many hotels in Luang soon followed. Prabang is empty during peak times. More recently, in Ha Long, when the press and social networks raised the issue of waste pollution in Ha Long Bay, many of our customers asked to change the destination."

Some travel companies, when surveying hotels in Ninh Binh, affirmed: We see that they have not invested properly in wastewater treatment. Wastewater from kitchens and restaurants is passed through a simple grease filter tank, then dumped directly into rivers and fields. There is a section of the river that smells very bad. If this situation continues, protecting clear rivers and creeks will become extremely complicated.

The river at Linh Coc wharf is always turbid and bubbling due to having to endure the amount of wastewater discharged from Thung Nham.

Visibility pollution and uncontrolled illegal construction activities are also problems affecting Ninh Binh tourism.

The current reality in Trang An is that there are too many construction projects, especially motels and hotels. The increase in high construction density, even in areas close to the foot of the mountains, along with architecture that is inconsistent and inconsistent with the local cultural context, is causing a loss of character and natural landscape. of Ninh Binh…

The violation report has a large size and amount of concrete that affects the heritage landscape.

Hybrid products, lacking identity

Another challenge that Ninh Binh tourism industry faces is the lack of diversity in tourism activities and products. Currently, the tour programs of most travel companies focus on three main activities: boating, cycling and visiting temples and pagodas. However, the beauty and traditional culture of Ninh Binh is not limited to these activities. The absence of regular cultural activities such as art performances, cultural exhibitions, and museum visits makes it difficult for travel agencies to design longer travel programs in Ninh. Binh and difficulty in bringing tourists back.

Currently, there are nearly 500 tourist accommodation establishments, but there are only establishments with unique features in architecture, layout, internal landscape and the ability to provide high quality services. on fingertips. The majority are still homestay models invested and operated by households themselves. Some new establishments focus too much on the number of rooms but seem to forget the quality and customer experience factors.

What is the solution to break through?

When talking about the quality of tourism products, it is impossible not to mention the most core and decisive factor, which is people, but more specifically, tourism human resources. The number of human resources, service culture, skills and professional qualifications are the key factors to create a breakthrough for Ninh Binh tourism today.

During the recovery period after the Covid-19 pandemic and until now, many resorts in Ninh Binh said they encountered many difficulties in recruiting personnel, although all accepted the recruitment of people who had not yet passed the Covid-19 pandemic. training and then on-the-job training through practice. A representative of a famous resort in the Tam Coc area said: It is especially difficult for us to recruit personnel who can communicate in English and French, not to mention other rare foreign languages. Even F&B personnel (restaurant, kitchen - PV) or room staff are not easy. It is even more difficult for people who have been trained in these specialties. Many young people are fluent in foreign languages ​​and prefer to stay in big cities. Those who finish high school tend to choose to work in industrial zones, which are less demanding than the accommodation service industry.

Ninh Binh has many advantages in human resources, but has not been given proper attention to development. Ninh Binh has convenient transportation and easy connection with human resource "basins" from neighboring provinces. Ninh Binh has Hoa Lu University, which among the training majors is tourism and hospitality. Along with the strong development of the tourism ecosystem, Ninh Binh can completely become a center for training and supplying tourism human resources for the entire region. A accommodation facility in the area said: "We are ready to cooperate with Hoa Lu University, welcome students to study through practical work, and even place orders with them. With the current number of hundreds of accommodation establishments located near Ninh Binh city, the development of this joint training model is very convenient."

In the context of Ninh Binh tourism, it is witnessing rapid growth and is full of promise but also full of challenges. To turn these challenges into opportunities, a comprehensive strategy is needed, combining environmental protection, preserving ecological landscapes, developing diverse tourism products and improving human resource quality. Among those aspects, environmental protection needs to be considered as a top and urgent priority, because practice shows that any delay in this will cause consequences that are difficult to overcome. . Strict and comprehensive control of compliance with legal regulations on waste and wastewater treatment, construction order and natural landscape maintenance will not only protect valuable resources but also create image of green, sustainable tourism.

Solidarity and consensus from all stakeholders, such as local authorities, businesses and the community, is an important key to the sustainable development of Ninh Binh tourism.

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Update day : 15/02/2024