Current Status of Tourism Connection Between An Giang and Neighboring Regions

Cam Mountain Tourist Area has many typical scenic spots, and is also a tourist destination ranked I, II such as Van Linh Pagoda, Big Buddha Pagoda, Maitreya Buddha statue, Thuy Liem Lake... In addition, along the trails from the foot to the top there are many other attractions such as: Thanh Long stream, Tien stream, Cay Que temple, 13-storey temple, Tam Thanh temple, Huynh Long temple, Ong The cave, Ong Ho cave,

Bac Vat Lang cave, Thuy Liem cave,

Thien Tue, grab

Bo Hong. During the past

development process, many items have been invested and are being completed in Nui Cam Tourist Area such as: entertainment area, pilgrimage service area, resort villa area..., thereby developing many types of spiritual tourism, ecological tourism, resort tourism. In 2017, Nui Cam Tourist Area welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors, ranking 2nd in An Giang after Nui Sam Tourist Area. Currently, Nui Cam Tourist Area has put into use a modern cable car system (3.5 km long, with 02 stations, including 16 pillars, phase I: 67 cabins with a capacity of 1,500 people/hour (8 people per cabin), phase II: 89 cabins with a capacity of 2,000 people/hour), designed with cable pillars and a road system on the mountainside and valley.

Limitations: services are still monotonous, internal traffic system is not yet complete; there is still a situation of squeezing and luring tourists.

+ Sap Mountain Tourist Area

Sap Mountain Tourist Area is the common name for Ong Thoai Lake Tourist Area and Thoai Ngoc Hau Temple located at the foot of Sap Mountain, in Nui Sap town, Thoai Son district, An Giang province, about 26km from Long Xuyen city.

Sap Mountain, whose Chinese name is Thoai Son, is the largest mountain in the cluster of four mountains: Sap Mountain, Nho Mountain, Ba Mountain and Cau Mountain. Sap Mountain is 85m high with a circumference of 3,800m. Along with the exploitation of stone, deep and wide holes, blue lakes and tunnels through the mountains have been created here. The lake area is about 9ha wide, divided into 3 lakes. The largest and most beautiful lake is named Ong Thoai Lake, to commemorate Thoai Ngoc Hau's contribution to the development of An Giang land and digging Thoai Ha canal. On the side of Sap Mountain is the temple worshipping Thoai Ngoc Hau, built in the third year of Minh Mang 1822. This place still preserves the ancient Thoai Son stele, recording

The article was written by him to mark the digging of Thoai Ha canal in 1818. With its diversity in types, Sap mountain tourist area is not only a place for entertainment but also a cultural destination with historical and spiritual values, attracting tourists.

Limitations: Infrastructure and infrastructure have not been invested yet; located far from Chau Doc central tourism cluster so it is difficult to connect; services and types of tourism are still limited.

+ Ket Mountain Tourist Area

Nui Ket Tourist Area is located in Thoi Son Commune, Tinh Bien District. Nui Ket is also known as Anh Vu Son, 266m high, 5,250m in circumference. The mountain borders the east of Nha Bang town, surrounded by other mountains such as Dai Mountain, Dat Mountain, Tra Su Mountain and Ba Dac Mountain.

Nui Ket tourist area still retains the natural features as well as the pristine features of the Seven Mountains region, with many beautiful spiritual and architectural works such as: U Minh temple, Buu Son Tu, Buu Minh Tu, Thoi Son communal house, Ngoc Hoang temple, Bach Van temple, Phat Thay temple, Phat Mau temple, Huynh Long temple,

Three Ladies, the Palace of the Deities

Five Mountains Seven Mountains…. Main type of tourism

weak is DL credit

Currently, Ket Mountain Tourist Area is investing in a number of projects with the aim of both promoting tourism potential and preserving historical values, helping visitors have the opportunity to get close to nature and return to their roots.

Limitations: Main type

mainly spiritual tourism, services

limited,

Infrastructure is still primitive and has not received major investment.

+ Soai So lake tourist area, To mountain (Tri Ton)

Lake Tourist Area

Soai So lies

on the eastern slope of Co To mountain, in Nui To commune,

Tri Ton district. This is an ecological tourist area with a combination of natural lakes and landscapes of To mountain area.

The center of the tourist area is Soai So Lake. The lake has an area of about 5 hectares with a water capacity of about 400,000m3 from Bac stream. Soai So Lake area has a charming landscape with a cool, fresh climate, a suitable place for tourists.

leisurely rest, relax and enjoy the mountain scenery. During the flood season from September to November (this time may change depending on the season)

year), the lake water rises, becomes clearer and more immense, creating a spectacular scene.

vastness of the river region.

Limitations: DL activities are still automatic.

generation, type and service

DL is still single

tune

3.3. Current status of tourism linkage between An Giang and neighboring areas

The current status of tourism linkage between An Giang and VPC is reflected through the linkage activities of exploiting natural resources and developing tourism products, linkage activities of building tours, tourism programs, exchanging services, linkage activities of promoting and advertising tourism, linkage activities of training human resources, etc. Within the limits, the thesis focuses on analyzing two main linkage contents in An Giang and VPC: linkage in exploiting resources, developing tourism products; and linkage in building tourism routes and programs. In addition to secondary data from state management agencies on tourism, the thesis also

statistics of DL programs as well as interviews with some companies

Providing services, travel, accommodation operating in An Giang, Can Tho

Poetry, Kien Giang and Dong Thap.

3.3.1. Linking resource exploitation and tourism product development

a. Linkage aspect

Linking the exploitation of natural resources and the development of tourism products is an important content in the tourism cooperation between An Giang and VPC. Linking the exploitation of natural resources and the development of tourism products creates attractiveness, helping tourists experience many values, while contributing to diversifying services, limiting duplication in tourism development between localities. Through linking the exploitation of natural resources and the development of tourism products, we will move towards the goal of building a space and tourism products with specific characteristics for the whole region.

In general, the current situation of linkage in resource exploitation and SPDL between An Giang and VPC localities focuses on the following aspects:

* Linking in evaluating the TNDL of An Giang and VPC towards building specific SPDL of the linked space

This linkage content is shown in the Cooperation Program for Tourism Development in the Western Cluster of the Mekong Delta region (including 7 provinces and cities: Can Tho, An Giang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Soc Trang, Hau Giang, chaired by the Mekong Delta Tourism Association). In which, the linkage content on exploiting natural resources is considered the focus. In this tourism space, the outstanding natural resources include ecological river-based natural resources, island-based natural resources, and spiritual and festival-based natural resources. Associated with it are specific tourism products associated with the space of the localities of An Giang, Can Tho, Kien Giang, Dong Thap: Phu Quoc and Ha Tien island-based resort tourism products; festival tourism: Via Ba Chua Xu, Bay Nui bull racing festival; ecological tourism: Phu Quoc National Park, U Minh Thuong, Tram Chim National Park, Tra Su cajuput forest, Gao Giong ecological tourism area.

For An Giang and VPC localities (Can Tho, Kien Giang), every year through the Western cluster, localities conduct assessments of typical tourist destinations in the Mekong Delta, on that basis contributing to the formation of inter-regional tourism products "Mekong Delta - One destination, 4 localities +". In which, some unique and outstanding tourism resources of each locality are included in this tourism product development program, including: Ba Temple and Sam Mountain tourist sites; Tra Su Melaleuca forest; Cam Mountain tourist area. In VPC, the combined tourism resources include Ninh Kieu Wharf, Cai Rang Floating Market, My Khanh tourist village (Can Tho); Phu Quoc Island, Ha Tien (Kien Giang); Tram Chim National Park; Gao Giong (MTDA, 2018).

* Cooperation to develop inter-regional online SPDL business

Through the implementation of B2B, B2C, B2G and C2C e-commerce, tourism service providers and travel agencies aim to diversify the forms of buying, selling and distributing products to tourists. An Giang and neighboring provinces and cities are approaching the construction of an Open Travel Alliance (OTA) model. This is a form of establishing a cooperative area with the same management standards and exchanging information with each other, leading to establishing benefit standards and promotions for customers when using the region's tourism products.

b. Participants in the association

Participants in the association include state management agencies on tourism, tourism service providers, travel agencies (associated with accommodation establishments, food establishments and supporting services) in An Giang with VPC.

State management agency on tourism: Linking exploitation of natural resources and development

SPDL development has the participation of state management agencies on tourism in An Giang and VPC. Specifically, the Department of Culture - Sports - Tourism of An Giang and its units such as the An Giang Tourism Association, the An Giang Tourism Promotion Center, etc. have participated in the linkage in building strategies and developing SPDL in the Western cluster (including 7 localities including An Giang, Can Tho, Kien Giang). In addition, annual linkage conferences held between member units in the Tourism Association also contribute to strengthening the linkage between these agencies, as well as connecting state management agencies on tourism in localities in the cluster.

Tourism service providers , travel agencies : The connection between tourism service providers and travel agencies between An Giang and VPC plays a very important role in exploiting and developing inter-regional tourism products . According to statistics from the Department of Culture , Sports and Tourism of An Giang, in 2017, the whole province had 18 tourism and travel service providers (6 international travel agencies), including branches of Saigontourist, Viettravel in An Giang... These companies regularly evaluate and update tourism resources, special tourism spots and include them in the company's tours. At the same time, at promotional events, these units also participate in signing cooperation agreements in tour building, sharing management experiences, supporting tour guide exchanges, etc.

c. Products from links:

At the management level : Based on the connection between state management agencies on tourism, initially , a chain of inter-regional tourism products has been formed based on the combination of An Giang tourism products with VPC's tourism resources. Typically , the inter-regional tourism product chain "Mekong Delta 4 localities, one destination +" aims to maximize the advantages of each locality, creating attraction for tourists.

Table 3.15. Inter-regional TNDL and SPDL linkages between An Giang and VPC

An Giang

Differential TNDL value of VPC			SPDL chain linking “4 localities, 1 destination +”
Can Tho	Kien Giang	Dong Thap
				Outstanding TNDL value
Festivals, spirituality (Lady's Festival, Lady Chua Xu Temple of Sam Mountain) Cultural values of Cham and Khmer communities (Seven Mountains Bull Racing Festival, Cham New Year Festival in An Giang)	Rivers, urban areas (Ninh Kieu Wharf, Cai Rang Floating Market,...) Orchards, ecology (Phong Dien, Bang stork garden) mausoleum,…)	Sea and islands	Wetland ecosystem domestic area Lang Sen Nature Reserve Tram Chim National Park)	Spiritual products, festivals combined with river tours water, sea and island.
				A series of spiritual products and festivals with ecological tours at national parks and river ecological sites.

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(Source: Compiled from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 2017)

The initial linkage creates product chains including An Giang's SPDLs combined with VPC's TNDLs. Specifically:

Spiritual tourism chain, festivals combined with river and island tours: Connecting most of the key tourism spots of An Giang (Ba Temple and pagodas in Sam Mountain Tourist Area, Cam Mountain Tourist Area), Can Tho (Ninh Kieu Wharf, Cai Rang Floating Market, riverside ecological clusters), Kien Giang (Phu Quoc Island and coastal islands; Ha Tien).

Spiritual tourism product chain, festivals with ecosystem tours at national parks, at ecological sites: along with Sam Mountain tourist area, Cam Mountain tourist area, this product chain also contains great tourism values such as Tram Chim National Park, U Minh Thuong National Park, Phu Quoc National Park...

In fact, these SPDL chains have been initially put into operation in some routes, tours, and tourism programs of some travel companies in An Giang and VPC localities (Appendix 7.4). However, the effectiveness of linking TNDL and SPDL is still limited, many products are still very vague due to lack of effectiveness, mainly

still stopped at signing. The main reason leading to this situation is due to location.

Localities still exploit available resources or copy, slow to innovate on SPDL. Therefore, the uniqueness, original value and ideas of DL products are still

poor, monotonous, patchy and repetitive, lacking depth between methods.

land

At the level of tourism service providers and travel companies : Linked products are mainly reflected in tours and tourism programs of tourism service providers and travel companies . For example, in the programs of

Viettravel Long Xuyen route Can Tho - An Giang - Kien Giang, SPDL travel

Spiritual incense often connects prominent spiritual tourist spots such as (Can Tho), Ba Chua Xu Temple, Big Buddha Pagoda (An Giang).

Ong Temple

In general, products created from linkages are generally monotonous, limited, with little investment in depth and creativity, so there is a lack of highly competitive products in the region and internationally; investment lacks cooperation between localities, leading to duplication of products.

3.3.2. Links on building tourism routes and programs

a. Linkage aspect

Links on building routes and sports tourism programs (tours)

manifest

work

The mutual support of many subjects participating in tourism activities in An Giang and VPC. The linked tourism routes and programs will contribute significantly to promoting the comparative advantages of tourism resources of each locality, thereby helping visitors have many new, unique and diverse experiences, on this basis promoting the tourism development of the linked localities.

Links to route construction and tourism programs focus on the following specific contents:

Linkage in inter-regional tourism route planning: This is macro-level content.

tissue

show the connection of points, KDL

in An Giang and VPC along the route

fixed communication. Determining inter-regional tourism routes depends largely on the participation of state management agencies on tourism (local authorities, departments and branches), and at the same time, there is the participation of macro-objects such as the public.

tourism service providers, travel agencies, accommodation establishments, etc. These contents are shown through signed documents between the parties at annual association conferences of clusters in the Mekong Delta, or conferences promoting association between An Giang and a number of localities inside and outside the Mekong Delta, including Can Tho, Kien Giang, Dong Thap (Appendix 8).

Links in program development, destinations, service systems and operating policies. For units in the same system, there is a wide network.

all over

countries and regions (typically

Saigontourist, Viettravel, hotel

Victoria…), tourism programs, destinations, service systems and operating policies are consistent and synchronized. Most of the tourism programs of these travel agencies are systematically managed. For independent travel agencies and accommodation establishments in An Giang and VPC, the level of linkage is generally limited because these agencies rarely share profits with each other during operations.

In addition, there are also activities to support tour exchange and guide staff exchange: In some cases, in order to support each other and facilitate operations, some travel agencies have linked up to support tour exchange and staff exchange. For example, travel agencies in An Giang have also initially linked up with travel agencies in Can Tho, Kien Giang, Dong Thap in the direction of exchanging experiences, combining tours, supporting tour guides, etc.

b. Participants in the association

The construction of tourism routes and programs involves the participation of many partners. In addition to state management agencies, the direct participants are tourism service providers, travel agencies, and accommodation, entertainment, and food establishments. The important role of this entity contributes to determining the level of linkage in tourism routes and tourism programs.

In An Giang, the linkage between tourism service providers, travel agencies, and accommodation establishments is quite diverse. The linkage not only occurs between units within the same system but also with units outside the system.

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