Orientation and Solutions for Developing Tourist Attractions in U Minh Thuong National Park

in the three core zones of Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, the second largest biosphere reserve among the eight biosphere reserves of Vietnam recognized by UNESCO. This is one of the strengths of the park's ecotourism development, clearly demonstrating the high biodiversity, as well as the typical ecosystems of UMT National Park.

Third, the Park has many addresses for ecotourism such as: bird area, bat area, primary cajuput forest, wild boar population, otters, monitor lizards, and especially Hoa Mai Lake fishing entertainment area... In addition, the U Minh Thuong revolutionary base preserves the tradition of fighting to defend the country, which is a unique condition for developing ecotourism.

Fourth, the cuisine of U Minh Thuong in the flood season is also one of the typical features of the Mekong Delta. Here, visitors can enjoy dishes that are only available in U Minh such as: grilled snakehead fish wrapped in raw vegetables, rice paper with tamarind fish sauce; grilled wild perch, 5-course processed catfish, sesban flowers, linh fish, three-striped crab... with rice wine from the Mekong Delta, expressing a unique identity that needs to be preserved.

Fifth, although UMT ecotourism has only been implemented since 2004, the service style of the Management Board and staff is quite good, creating sympathy for tourists, and environmental education is also given due attention. This is also one of the strengths that helps U Minh Thuong National Park develop ecotourism well.

Maybe you are interested!

2.4.1.2. Weaknesses

First , on tourism resource exploitation management.

- Although U Minh Thuong National Park possesses rich and diverse natural tourism resources, up to now it has not been exploited commensurate with that potential, showing that the tourism product system of UMT is still poor and monotonous.

- Up to now, natural tourism resources have not been statistically evaluated, classified and ranked for sustainable and effective exploitation management. Leading to

There are many ecotourism resources but they are exploited indiscriminately, only superficially, exploiting what is available without promoting the value of the resources.

- The indiscriminate exploitation and depletion of tourism resources associated with the competition process and unclear responsibilities of the parties lead to the risk of rapid degradation of resource value. The conflict of economic interests between economic entities and industries, short-term vision and limited technology lead to the destruction and misuse of some tourism resources, negatively affecting sustainable tourism development.

Second, about infrastructure and technical facilities for tourism

- The infrastructure system to access the destination is still poor and unsynchronized. Currently, to reach U Minh Thuong National Park, international tourists can hardly come by air and there are only 2 international airports in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In addition, the road, railway and river systems that bring tourists to UMT are not synchronized and generally of low quality, and there is no connection into a network. Therefore, infrastructure obstacles continue to be a weakness that requires long-term investment for UMT tourist destinations in particular and Vietnam in general.

- In particular, U Minh Thuong National Park does not have tourist accommodation services, tourism products are still small, unsynchronized, and unprofessional operations, so it has not formed a tourist area system in Kien Giang province with a prominent brand, although it is an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

Third, about tourism human resources

- This is truly a long-term weakness not only for U Minh Thuong National Park but also for Vietnam's tourism industry. Although UMT has made many efforts in developing tourism human resources in the past, especially from 2004 to present. However, compared to the requirements for professionalism of the modern and integrated tourism industry today, the tourism human resources of U Minh Thuong National Park have not yet met the requirements of professional skills and connection with tourist destinations in the region.

- Although the tourism workforce is large, the proportion of people with professional tourism training is low, mostly from intermediate and college levels, only 15 people have university degrees.

Thus, the general quality of human resources for ecotourism in U Minh Thuong National Park has not yet met the requirements of professionalism, management skills, communication and service quality. The foreign language proficiency of tourism staff is generally low. The team of professional tour guides dedicated to the ecotourism of the National Park and corresponding to the languages of the target market is still not fully ready.

Fourth, on product and market development

- Ecotourism products of U Minh Thuong National Park generally have their own characteristics, however, tourism products are slow to innovate to suit the needs of tourists. Most ecotourism products exploit available resources or copy to form tourism products, so they overlap with some other tourist attractions in the region such as: fishing, boating, sightseeing... relatively similar. Therefore, the uniqueness, original value and ideas of tourism products of UMT National Park are very poor and overlap with many other National Parks in Kien Giang province in particular and the whole country in general.

- Market segmentation research to determine the target market for ecotourism development in U Minh Thuong National Park has not really received attention. It mostly serves general purposes and has not yet brought in large profits at the target market stage.

- In addition, the promotion of ecotourism in U Minh Thuong National Park is not professional, systematic, and effective; it only stops at promoting the general image, and has not created a resonance and specific appeal for each product and tourism brand. That is why it has not attracted the foreign tourist market.

Fifth, on capital and technology

- The demand for investment in ecotourism in U Minh Thuong National Park is very large while capital and technology resources are still relatively limited.

- The self-reliance in technology, engineering and high-quality human resources of U Minh Thuong National Park is still very limited and depends on external joint venture partners.

2.4.2. Opportunities and challenges

2.4.2.1. Opportunities

-Firstly , the world's economic, political and security developments have a stronger impact as Vietnam integrates more deeply and comprehensively. Vietnam has joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). Globalization is an objective trend, attracting countries and territories, promoting cooperation while increasing competitive pressure and interdependence. Bilateral and multilateral relations are increasingly expanded in economic, cultural, social, environmental activities and common issues towards the millennium goals. The relations between Asia-Europe, America-Asia, Japan-ASEAN and the economies in APEC are increasingly developing in a positive direction.

- Second, Vietnam's active diplomatic relations with the world are opening up opportunities to attract capital and technology investment into Vietnam in general and tourism investment in particular. Major economies and international organizations are actively supporting Vietnam in the process of transforming the economy to a market mechanism, in which FDI and ODA investment flows for tourism development, especially ecotourism, are increasing.

- Third, U Minh Thuong National Park is an attractive destination for tourists in the future, with an increasing trend of international and domestic tourists. Ecotourism is increasingly developing, and tourists are choosing this type of tourism more and more.

- Fourth, integrating into the world economy, U Minh Thuong National Park is receiving many investment and development projects from within and outside the country. U Minh Thuong National Park is being invested in to serve the research and conservation of rare biological gene sources.

- Fifth, tourism in general and ecotourism in particular have become a popular trend globally, international tourism is constantly growing; intra-bloc tourism accounts for a large proportion; long-distance tourism tends to increase rapidly. Tourism has become one of the fastest growing and largest service economic sectors in the world, contributing to the development and prosperity of countries. Especially developing countries, remote areas consider tourism development as a tool for hunger eradication, poverty reduction and economic growth. This is a great opportunity in the trend of the times that Vietnam can take advantage of to develop all types of diverse tourism, taking advantage of tourism resources to quickly achieve development goals. In particular, the emerging trend of ecotourism is an opportunity to promote economic development for poor areas and people's lives in buffer zones that are still difficult such as U Minh Thuong National Park.

2.4.2.2. Challenges

- Firstly, Vietnam tourism in general and UMT ecotourism in particular will be strongly affected by political instability, conflicts, terrorism, epidemics, natural disasters, economic and financial crises in partner countries and traditional markets. As a member of the WTO, these negative impacts will be stronger and more unpredictable while Vietnam's ability to adapt and respond to market fluctuations is still limited. Regional disputes and disagreements, especially issues related to the East Sea, have a strong, direct and sudden impact on Vietnam's tourism activities. This is an overarching challenge in the process of global tourism integration, responding to economic crises, security and political instability on the international level.

- Second, the pressure of international and domestic competition is increasingly fierce. Ecotourism is a young type of tourism and has many weaknesses. In particular, ecotourism in U Minh Thuong National Park has just started operating since 2004, and experience in management and service is still quite weak. Competition between national parks and nature reserves in the Mekong Delta such as Tram Chim National Park, U Minh Ha... is becoming fiercer with scale. This competition is both in terms of investment capital and attracting

customers, both in terms of quality and business efficiency and building their own image and brand.

- Climate change is having a stronger impact than predicted. U Minh Thuong National Park is facing the threat of forest fires. Although forest fire prevention is always a top priority, prolonged drought and lack of irrigation water in the dry season are always concerns of the U Minh Forest Management Board.

- The world's tourism demand has changed a lot, towards new values established on the basis of traditional cultural values (uniqueness, originality), natural values (primitiveness, wildness), creative values and high technology (modernity, convenience). Sustainable tourism, green tourism, responsible tourism, community tourism associated with poverty reduction, tourism towards the roots, towards nature are prominent trends. Environmental quality has become an important factor constituting the value of tourism enjoyment.

This is a huge challenge in terms of perspective, awareness and technical expertise. If Vietnamese tourism in general and UMT ecotourism in particular do not catch up with this trend, they will face the risk of falling behind, losing market share and being ineffective. If tourists turn their backs on the destination, it will be a disaster.

CONCLUSION OF CHAPTER 2

U Minh Thuong National Park is one of the three core zones of Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, and is the second largest Biosphere Reserve among the eight Biosphere Reserves of Vietnam recognized by UNESCO. With the highest biodiversity in the Mekong Delta, many rare and endangered species of flora and fauna need to be protected.

In addition to its high biodiversity, U Minh Thuong National Park also has a wild beauty, typical of the Mekong Delta. Coming to UMT, visitors can immerse themselves in rare natural scenery, immerse themselves in nature and enjoy the typical cuisine of the region. This is also the hometown of national hero Nguyen Trung Truc. UMT is and will be an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

Besides the attractive tourism resources, U Minh Thuong National Park has a system of technical facilities and services that are increasingly focused on completion.

However, U Minh Thuong National Park still has some difficulties and limitations that need to be addressed to improve service quality and increase attractiveness to tourists. These include tourist accommodation services, lack of facilities, difficult access, limited and monotonous tourism services, etc.

The number of visitors is increasing day by day but the revenue from tourism activities is still low, the weakness of tourism infrastructure is a worrying reality for the development of ecotourism in U Minh Thuong National Park.

Ecotourism with the nature of tourism that includes environmental education, conservation and contributes to the development of local communities will be suitable and should be encouraged to develop in U Minh Thuong National Park. Therefore, orientations and solutions for ecotourism in this National Park in the coming years are extremely necessary.

Chapter 3: ORIENTATION AND SOLUTIONS FOR DEVELOPING ECO-TOURISM IN U MINH THUONG NATIONAL PARK

3.1. Orientation of tourism development

U Minh Thuong National Park has great potential for ecotourism development, but tourism activities are still very limited and there is no plan for tourism development. Current research and orientations for ecotourism development will be an important premise for planning and organizing tourism management of U Minh Thuong National Park in the future. The main orientations for ecotourism development of U Minh Thuong National Park are determined on the basis of theories on ecotourism, experience in ecotourism development in national parks around the world and in Vietnam and analysis of potential, current status, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges in ecotourism development in the National Park, on the basis of the overall tourism development orientation of Kien Giang province in the period 2010-2020 approved by the provincial People's Committee. The orientations for ecotourism development of U Minh Thuong National Park are based on the actual conditions of tourism resources and development goals of U Minh Thuong National Park.

3.1.1. General objectives

The development of ecotourism in U Minh Thuong National Park needs to pay attention to the balance between three goals: Ensuring economic efficiency of tourism, nature conservation goals and community development goals.

- The economic efficiency of tourism is reflected in: The attractiveness and quality of tourism products and services; the economic benefits that tourism activities can bring.

- The goal of nature conservation is expressed in: Supporting conservation work and raising conservation awareness for the community and tourists; bringing environmental efficiency (protecting the natural environment and using resources effectively).

- The goal of supporting community development is to ensure the social effectiveness of ecotourism. This is reflected in: The ability to support the preservation of cultural and humanistic values and support the development of local communities.

In tourism planning and organizing tourism activities, it is necessary to ensure a balance between the three above objectives. Because there is a close relationship between them.

Comment