Number of International and Domestic Tourists in the Period 2001

There are also a number of tourism investment projects awaiting approval such as:

- Go Thap tourist area: Detailed planning has been approved by the Provincial People's Committee. Currently, a technical infrastructure investment project is being prepared.

- Cau Bac Cao Lanh Tourist Area: The master plan has been approved and is completing procedures to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for approval. The project is in the list of projects calling for foreign and non-provincial investment.

If all the projects are implemented and put into operation, it will be a great advantage for Dong Thap tourism development. However, the above projects still lack legal basis and are not included in the approved master plan for tourism development. Therefore, the study of the above projects is an extremely necessary task to legalize investment projects in accordance with current regulations, creating an important premise to promote tourism development in the province.

2.3. Current status of sustainable tourism development in Dong Thap province in the period 2001 - 2010

2.3.1. Economic benefits

2.3.1.1. Number of international and domestic tourists in the period 2001 - 2010

Tourists coming to Dong Thap are mainly pilgrims and tourists for festivals and sightseeing, accounting for 77.6% (in 2010) and the number of tourists for this purpose has increased gradually over the years, only in 2007 did it decrease compared to other years (down 10.35% compared to the previous year); while tourists account for a small proportion of about 1/3 of the number of visitors, however, this number of visitors has increased quite steadily over the years from 2000 to 2010. Overnight visitors have increased, accounting for about 44.6% (in 2010), this is because the system of tourism services of the province has been increasingly upgraded to satisfy the needs of tourists and this is also a current advantage of the province in attracting tourists back to Dong Thap province; in which the majority are domestic visitors while foreigners staying overnight account for about 0.6%. Tourists to Dong Thap in the period 2000 - 2010 generally increased over the years, however the number of visitors increased unevenly, with some years increasing sharply, such as in 2008, an increase compared to 2007.

before 37.05% but there were years when it decreased like 2007 (-2.63 compared to the previous year) and 2010 (increased 4.82% compared to the previous year).

Table 2.4. Tourists to Dong Thap in the period 2000 - 2010

Unit	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Total visitors	Hit	68,597	66,073	73,372	94,731	519,476	580,241	720,542	701,527	961,437	1,130,000	1,184,500
Year-on-year growth before	%						11.7	29.35	-2.63	37.05	17.53	4.82
1. Tourists	Hit	68,597	66,073	73,372	94,731	113,476	131,090	153,006	192,767	221,437	239,000	265,500
Year-on-year growth before	%		-3.68	11.05	29.11	19.78	15.52	16.72	25.99	14.87	7.93	11.09
In which, international guests	Hit	21,730	23,637	22,065	15,095	6,520	10,356	6,678	12,968	19,516	14,800	20,000
Year-on-year growth before	%		8.78	-6.65	-31.59	-56.8	58.83	-35.51	94.19	50.49	-24.16	35.14
2. Tourists smell	Hit					406,000	449,151	567,536	508,760	740,000	891,000	919,000
Year-on-year growth before	%						10.63	26.35	-10.35	45.45	20.4	3.14
3. Number of guests staying	People	47,910					412,268			505.401	513,660	528,270
In which, international guests	People	225					1,758			2.151	2.210	3,040
4. Number of days of stay	Day	65,890					598,720			770,685	689,558	662.104
In which, international guests	Day	346					680			709	642	498

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Source: Dong Thap Provincial Statistics Office and Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The province's tourist sources mainly come from the tourist center of Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces in the Mekong Delta along with local visitors. Among the tourists coming to Dong Thap, the majority are domestic visitors, accounting for 92.5%, while international visitors account for a very small proportion of 7.5% (in 2010) with an erratic increase and decrease in number; especially in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, the number of international visitors decreased rapidly, while the remaining years increased quite steadily. This also caused the growth rate to change rapidly over the years. The expansion of the market abroad is still very limited, mainly due to travel companies in Ho Chi Minh City bringing visitors due to previously established relationships. The Tourism Joint Stock Company is not strong enough to reach out to establish representative offices or branches to directly trade and promote its products.

Chart 2.3. Current status of tourists in Dong Thap province in the period 2000 - 2010

The main reasons for the decline in international visitors are:

- The units associated with tourism business activities have almost "abandoned tours" to bring visitors to some tourist areas, such as Xeo Quyt tourist area, because for nearly 1 year, the support services at Xeo Quyt tourist area have not been supplemented or renewed, simply visiting the relic site by road or by water, rowing a boat in the cajuput forest, the quality of tourism is not high (food and beverage services), there is no consistency between the Management Board of the Revolutionary Historical Relic Site and the tourism service operators.

- For Gao Giong eco-tourism area, the services are also monotonous, no different from Xeo Quyt tourist area, just eating, canoeing... the only difference is that in Xeo Quyt you can see the primeval cajuput forest and the revolutionary base, while in Gao Giong you can see the newly recreated cajuput forest and bird sanctuary. Even in Tram Chim National Park, tourism exploitation activities are very limited and monotonous, serving mainly for biodiversity research activities.

- Infrastructure in tourist areas and spots is still limited, causing difficulties in forming closed tours; investment funds for tourism development in recent years have not been focused, relic sites, forms of folk cultural activities, traditional craft villages have not been invested in to restore. On the other hand, the management mechanism for exploitation at relic, cultural, historical sites associated with tourism service exploitation is not unified, service quality has not been given due attention, so it has not brought about practical results, causing significant impact on attracting tourists, especially international tourists.

Tourists come to Dong Thap mainly for eco-tourism, sightseeing, historical, cultural and revolutionary relics, etc. Their destinations, especially international tourists, are Tram Chim National Park, Go Thap Relic Site, Xeo Quyt Tourist Area, Gao Giong Eco-tourism Area, Nguyen Sinh Sac Tomb, etc.

Currently, with the conditions of technical facilities, transportation, communication, etc., tourism services have been greatly improved, creating a driving force to attract tourists to Dong Thap, developing tourism in the province.

According to the report of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dong Thap, the average spending of visitors to Dong Thap is 30 USD for international visitors staying overnight and 5 USD for international visitors visiting during the day; 15 USD/person/day for domestic visitors staying overnight and 3 USD for domestic visitors visiting during the day. However, the above statistics are not complete because the spending on shopping, eating, etc. of visitors is only recorded within the scope of the tourist area and in the restaurants and hotels managed by the tourism industry. Therefore, that number is lower than the actual spending.

of visitors in Dong Thap and much lower than the average spending level of tourists in Vietnam today from 70 USD - 100 USD/1 day for international visitors and 25 USD - 30 USD/1 day for domestic visitors (according to the 2000 - 2001 survey of the Institute for Development Research).

2.3.1.2. Tourism revenue in the period 2001 - 2010

In Vietnam today, there are two concepts of revenue: tourism revenue is currently calculated from the revenue of businesses managed by the tourism industry and social revenue is understood as the income brought by tourists to society in all sectors of the economy.

Tourism industry revenue

According to the concept of revenue of businesses managed by the tourism industry is reflected in the following table:

Table 2.5. Tourism revenue of Dong Thap province in the period 2000 - 2010

Unit: million VND

Year

2000	2005	2008	2009	2010
Total revenue	12,960	40,648	59,681	34,620	36,701
1. Classification by economic sector
State	8,563	14,788	29,286	7,610	8,691
Private	3,575	830	1,505	1,120	1,360
Individual	822	25,030	28,890	25,890	26,650
2. Classification by revenue type
Service revenue (*)	6.114	27,272	39,647	23,000	24,380
Sales revenue	954	2,792	3,898	2,261	2,390
Food and beverage revenue	5,649	10,162	15,554	9,023	9,560
Other revenue	243	422	582	336	371

(*): includes room rental, travel, passenger transportation, other revenue sources

Source: Dong Thap Provincial Statistics Office

Looking at the table above, we see that the total tourism revenue of Dong Thap is only equivalent to the revenue of a 4-5 star joint venture hotel in the cities.

large cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, is very low for an economic sector considered to play an important role in the socio-economic development orientation of the province. In general, the province's tourism revenue from 2000 - 2010 increased (in 2010 compared to 2000, it increased by about 183.2%), this is a remarkable achievement of the province's tourism industry. However, if comparing the years, there was a sharp decline in 2008, when the revenue reached 59,681 million VND, but in 2009 it decreased very quickly to 34,620 million VND (a decrease of about 41%). By 2010, the revenue increased to 36,701 million VND.

Chart 2.4. Structure of tourism revenue in Dong Thap province in 2000 and 2010

Revenue structure by economic sector, the State accounts for about 24%; the rest is the private sector and individuals, in which individuals account for about 73% of revenue, mainly from business activities serving tourism, such as restaurants, hotels, motels, massage, karaoke, ...

The revenue structure of Dong Thap tourism industry is mainly revenue from accommodation services (room rental) and food and beverage, accounting for over 80%, playing a key role in tourism business activities. Other services have not been focused on (revenue from accommodation accounts for nearly 50%, food and beverage revenue accounts for about 28% - 35%), revenue from sales and other services is insignificant (sales revenue accounts for about 4.6% - 6.5% and other revenue accounts for about 6%). Tourism revenue of

Dong Thap is generally low and not commensurate with the number of tourists coming to Dong Thap and has not increased significantly in recent times.

Dong Thap's social tourism revenue:

That is the revenue from tourists in Dong Thap province, including all revenue paid by tourists, which is revenue from accommodation, food and beverage, transportation, shopping, entertainment and other services.

According to the statistical report from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and based on estimates based on the characteristics and current status of tourism development in Dong Thap, based on the average spending level of tourists in Vietnam and the Mekong Delta, the average spending level/day of international tourists staying overnight in Dong Thap is 30 USD/day; domestic tourists staying overnight is 15 USD/day; international tourists visiting for the day is 5 USD/day and domestic tourists visiting for the day is 3 USD/day. Thus, the social revenue from tourism in 2010 is estimated at 15 million USD, this figure is too modest in its contribution to the province's GDP.

Social revenue from tourism in Dong Thap is generally low due to the average daily spending of visitors in Dong Thap. Although Dong Thap has the ability to attract a large number of visitors, the reality is still not commensurate with the potential, mainly due to the fact that the tourism facilities and the quality of the facilities are not high and not diverse. At some tourist attractions with a large number of visitors, the restaurant system, dining facilities, sales and services for tourists are not yet developed, so it does not encourage tourists' spending. Therefore, the development of dining facilities, sales, entertainment activities at tourist attractions and the investment in opening new parks, tourist attractions will encourage spending and prolong the length of stay of visitors, creating a significant source of revenue for tourism in Dong Thap and will contribute a significant part to the province's GDP.

Number of International and Domestic Tourists in the Period 2001 – 2010

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