Results of Tourism Development in An Giang Province Over the Past Time:

Phu Tan), now almost no longer exists because the products are handmade with rudimentary tools, high cost, not competitive in the market. Nui Sap stone craft village (Thoai Son district) due to the cessation of stone mining has led to the cessation of activities for split stone and construction stone products. The Khmer people's clay pot and stove shaping craft village in Tri Ton district has many unique cultural features. In addition, some craft villages have been formed recently, with small production scale, low product output, mainly working as a secondary economy, producing unique and novel products such as palm leaf paintings, bamboo and cotton handicrafts, wood mosaic paintings, leaf paintings, water hyacinth weaving, dried pangasius fish... These products need to be arranged, invested in... to develop into traditional craft villages and included in tourism tours, which will be unique tourism products attracting tourists to An Giang.

2.2. CURRENT STATUS OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN AN GIANG PROVINCE:

2.2.1. Results of tourism development in An Giang province in recent times:

2.2.1.1. Number of tourists to An Giang province:

Although An Giang province has many historical cultural tourism sites and rich natural resources, tourism activities only developed clearly in 1993 and starting from 1996 marked a leap in the number of visitors to An Giang province, the number of visitors in 1996 increased 1.46 times compared to 1993 and in 2005 increased 2.5 times compared to 1993 and 1.52 times compared to 2000.

4000

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Year

Number of visitors (thousand people)

Chart 2.1. Number of tourists to An Giang province

(Source: An Giang Provincial Department of Tourism [65];[66];[67];[68];[69];[70])

- International Guests:

In the years before the 90s of the 20th century, the number of international tourists to An Giang province was very small. From 1994 to now, this number of visitors has increased at a continuous rate, especially in the period 2001-2005 with an average annual growth rate of 21.9%. This shows that An Giang province has paid attention to attracting visitors to An Giang. This is also an attractive land for international tourists with its wildness, many unique cultural and historical features and this is also a place for tourists who want to learn about a locality where President Ton Duc Thang was born with heroic historical traditions.

However, compared to the number of international visitors nationwide as well as compared to some southern provinces with a long history of tourism development such as Ho Chi Minh City, Kien Giang, etc., the number of international visitors to An Giang province is still too small. This shows that the tourism market share of An Giang province is always under pressure from other localities, proving that An Giang tourism needs to make more efforts and promote the exploitation of uniqueness and characteristics to compete for market share with other localities in the region as well as in the whole country. According to the survey data, the number of visitors to An Giang province is mainly domestic visitors (accounting for 99.4% of visitors to An Giang province) [Appendix 3].

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Year

Number of visitors (thousand people)

The number of international visitors to An Giang province has increased over the years, however the proportion is still very small in the total number of visitors to An Giang province (only accounting for nearly 1%), mainly visitors from Japan, the US, the UK, France, Canada, Australia, Korea, Taiwan, and Germany.

Chart 2.2: Number of international tourists to An Giang.

(Source: An Giang Provincial Department of Tourism [65];[66];[67];[68];[69];[70])

- Domestic customers:

1.2

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Year

Number of visitors (thousand people)

Tourists to An Giang province are mostly domestic tourists (accounting for 99% of tourists). The number of domestic tourists to An Giang has increased rapidly over the years, with an average growth rate of 3.7% in the period 1996-2000 and in the period 2001-2005, the province had many policies to mobilize many economic sectors to invest in technical infrastructure as well as suitable facilities, which has accelerated the average growth rate of tourists in this period to 8.7%.

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Chart 2.3. Number of domestic visitors to An Giang province

(Source: An Giang Provincial Department of Tourism [65];[66];[67];[68];[69];[70])

Domestic tourists come to An Giang with the main purpose of going

onion

The place where Ba Chua Xu is located in Chau Doc town, An Giang province, especially during the festival of Ba Chua Xu held on the 23rd and 24th of the 4th lunar month every year, the number of visitors is very large, leading to overload and directly affecting the ecological environment as well as the order and social security of this area at peak times. In addition, domestic tourists come to An Giang for other purposes such as visiting relatives, relaxing, attending meetings, etc.

According to the survey data on the purpose of tourists coming to An Giang, 57.5% are for pilgrimage, 12.5% are for visiting relatives, 15% are for vacation, 10% are for meetings, the remaining proportion is for commercial purposes and other purposes [Appendix 3].

From this reality, An Giang province needs to plan and arrange tourist spots and routes as well as renovate and upgrade appropriate facilities to form and improve the quality of tourism products, meet the needs of each group, and at the same time overcome the seasonality in tourism development.

2.2.1.2. Tourism revenue:

In the period 1996-2000, the average annual growth rate was 11.56% and in the period 2001-2005, the tourism industry marked a step forward in development and played an important role in the province's economy, with an average growth rate of 26.1%. In 2005, tourism revenue was 1,910 billion VND, an increase of 5.2 times compared to 2000, of which tourism business revenue was 77.8 billion VND, an increase of 2.9 times compared to 2000. The development of the tourism industry has attracted workers from all socio-economic sectors to participate in many diverse forms with tens of thousands of workers participating in commercial business in tourist areas and spots throughout the province. In recent years, An Giang tourism has made innovations, gradually developing technical facilities, building attractive tourist routes and destinations, serving tourists to meet part of the needs of sightseeing, resting, and entertainment of domestic and foreign visitors, initially achieving economic efficiency. The tourism industry of An Giang province is increasingly showing an important role in contributing to the socio-economic development of the province. Therefore, authorities at all levels are very interested and consider this a spearhead to exploit the advantages of the province and accelerate the socio-economic development of An Giang province in the coming time. According to statistics, the business results of the tourism industry are as follows:

Table 2.1: Tourism revenue of An Giang province.

Year

Revenue (million VND)	Growth rate (%)
1996	266.6
1997	342.8	+ 28.58
1998	335.5	- 3.20
1999	253.8	- 4.40
2000	330	+ 30.02
2001	446.5	+ 35.30
2002	590.9	+ 32.34
2003	711	+ 20.32
2004	911	+ 28.12

2005

1,910

+ 20.00

(Source: An Giang Provincial Department of Tourism) [65],[66],[67],[68],[69],[70]

Through the table

1996-1 period	99 unstable and competitive	fierce so revenue is variable
normal	through. But from 2000 to	2005 total tourism industry revenue
calendar tends to be bad	increasing from 330 billion in 2000	increased to 1,910 billion VND in 2005
(7.2 times increase)	times compared to 1996).
2.2.1.3.	Tourist spending:
Average number of days guests stay per month		of tourists to the province
travel yet	developed a lot so not kept yet	get guests to stay longer. By number
investigation,	in total tourists to the province	An Giang, only 12.5% of tourists

The above shows that the tourism industry of An Giang province

An Giang is still low, in 2000 it was 1.2 days and in 2005 it was 1.6. Due to the types of

Guests staying at hotels, motels and most tourists are travelers.

The incense should usually be returned during the day or stay overnight [Appendix 3].

The average spending of a tourist in the area in 2000 was 132

thousand dong/day, in 2005 it was 277 thousand dong/day. For international guests,

In 2000, it was 14.3 USD/day, in 2005, it was 44 USD/day. Domestic tourists spent 132 thousand VND/day in 2000, up to 274 thousand VND/day in 2005. The spending level of tourists in recent times has been mostly for accommodation and food, while the needs for other entertainment services are almost negligible. This spending structure also reflects that the province's tourism products need to be invested in and developed in many new types to attract tourists.

Table 2.2: Table of spending structure of domestic tourists

Unit: %

Expenditure structure

1996	2000	2004
- Accommodation	1.9	4.1	6.0
- Eat and drink	23.5	29.1	35.6
- Travel	43.0	46.0	41.3
- Entertainment	3.2	9.6	3.9
- Purchase goods	15.1	1.2	1.5
- Other services	13.3	10.0	11.8

(Source: An Giang Provincial Department of Tourism) [65],[66],[67],[68],[69],[70]

2.2.1.4. Tourism seasonality of An Giang province:

According to statistics, the number of visitors to An Giang province has increased over the years (2.5 million in 2000, 2.7 million in 2003 and 3.8 million in 2005). However, tourists to An Giang only focus on one

number of times of the year, the target audience is pilgrims during the Lady's Day

The Lord's Temple is in April every year and students and their families travel in January.

06 is summer vacation time. Due to the nature of

time

service in tourism activities

in An province

Giang in the past time has affected the exploitation efficiency of the tourism industry and the quality of tourism services is not high as well as negatively affecting the tourism environment at peak times of tourist concentration. Specifically as follows:

From the data of the Department of Tourism of An Giang province, statistics on the number of tourists coming to An Giang province in 5 years (from 2000-2005) [59], [60], [61], [62], [63], [64] and using the average method of the months in the year, we have the following table of data:

According to the formula:

Yi Yes

with Y i : number of guests in : Number of years in the sequence

Applying this to the calculation, we have the average number of tourists arriving by month in 5 years as follows:

Month

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	110	300	350	300	450	1,000	180	190	200	210	200	120

Y  300.8

Si Yes

S i : monthly seasonality index

Y i : Average monthly number

Month

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	2
	0.365	0.997	1,163	0.997	1,496	3,324	0.598	0.598	0.631	0.664	0.660	0.380

The above analysis results show that the number of tourists to An Giang province

carry

calculate

seasonal

high, focus on

March

arrive

June

(highest point is

June).

- D	with	economist	travel	calendar :	When needed	you pass	bow	then	enough	ng
service	tourism	decrease	stupid talent	rest assured	calendar and	base	object	shake well	technique	travel

In fact, tourism seasonality is an objectively common phenomenon. It exists in all countries and regions with tourism activities. The time and intensity of tourism seasonality are not always fixed but they change under the influence of many factors. Tourism seasonality affects the use of all components of the tourism business process such as tourism resources, technical facilities, service staff, tourists, etc. Specifically, the impacts of tourism seasonality in An Giang are as follows:

Over-capacity schedule, human resource utilization cannot fully meet. On the contrary, when tourism demand decreases, economic efficiency in tourism will decrease because variable costs account for an insignificant proportion, large fixed costs reduce the ability to apply flexible prices, causing difficulties for tourism organizations' operations, poor service quality. In addition, the organization and use of human resources will not be fully utilized during the year, easily causing new job displacement and affecting the ability to improve professional skills. Technical facilities of tourism and resources are not fully utilized, causing waste of resources.

- For tourists: Seasonality limits the ability to find suitable accommodation with the desired time. During the main tourist season, there is a concentration of tourist needs, reducing the convenience of using tourism resources, leading to a decrease in the quality of tourist services. On the other hand, tourism seasonality also has a negative impact on related economic sectors and service sectors, leading to a disruption in the regularity of production and implementation of products of sectors including tourism (such as transportation, industry, public services, etc.).

- For local authorities : Seasonality affects political security and social safety. During the tourist season, welcoming too many visitors to local tourist attractions causes difficulties.

in maintaining local security, ensuring the safety of tourists and local residents, and social issues.

- For residents, changing lifestyle and activities : Shown through changes in consumption and daily activities.

Seasonality in tourism has greatly affected the business process of the tourism industry in general and tourism, hotel and other service businesses. Therefore, to improve the efficiency of tourism business, it is necessary to grasp the factors affecting tourism seasonality to find optimal solutions for the business process in each period.

* From the above analysis and through actual data of tourists coming to An Giang over the years, we can make an assessment of the factors affecting the tourist season of An Giang province:

Natural factors:

Climate is an important factor in shaping tourism seasonality, it strongly affects tourism supply and demand. The influence of climate factors is clearly shown in tourism types in An Giang province such as mountain tourism, sightseeing tourism, festivals, eco-tourism. This type of tourism has a clear seasonal nature, so the number of visitors is most concentrated in the sunny season, summer, when the climate is fresh and the natural landscape is beautiful.

To overcome seasonality, research some other types of tourism such as medical tourism, cultural tourism, business tourism. These types of tourism do not have a big impact on climate conditions.

Socio-economic-psychological factors:

+ In terms of economy: Income is an important factor that affects the demand for tourism. To make a trip, you need to have the necessary amount of money, so the higher the income, the more demand for tourism and the more trips you make during the year. Therefore, the number of tourists to An Giang province tends to increase during the main tourist season and the off-season. This factor has contributed to reducing the intensity of tourism during the main tourist season.

+ Leisure time: Leisure time is a factor affecting the uneven distribution of tourism demand, people can only travel during leisure time. The impact of leisure time on seasonality in tourism

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