Dong Thap to invest $4 million in Tram Chim National Park

                                                        Photos: Duc Anh

Investment to promote tourism will take care to protect the local environment.

The Mekong Delta’s Dong Thap province plans to invest VND90 billion ($4 million) in developing infrastructure and sustainable ecotourism at the Tram Chim National Park in the 2016-2020 period.

Any investment in infrastructure must protect the natural environment, including forests and all types of rare birds, especially the Sarus Crane, said Mr. Nguyen Van Duong, Chairman of the Dong Thap Provincial People’s Committee.

Tram Chim National Park provides tours to experience the flood season, which feature boat races, sleeping in a forest observatory, spending a day as a farmer, visiting bird gardens, and fishing.

The park covers 7,313 ha, including almost 3,000 ha of melaleuca forest with trees aged between ten and 20 years. It has rich vegetation, with over 130 species, 129 freshwater fish, 198 water bird species, and 29 amphibian species.

Many tourism destinations have improved since the province launched its tourism development plan for the 2015-2020 period. The Xeo Quyt tourism area in Cao Lanh city, for example, has invested in flowers and trees, and in Tram Chim National Park local people now have more opportunities to become involved in tourism and receive training to serve domestic and international tourists.

More tourism models are being developed, such as community tourism in Sa Dec city, which will help raise local incomes and improve the living environment.

In its vision to 2020, Dong Thap province will focus on community tourism and ecotourism, in particular given tourists the chance to experience local lives and local culture. Tourists will be introduced to Phu Nam ancient culture, people’s lives in Tram Chim National Park during the flood season, and flower products in Sa Dec city.

Dong Thap has made great efforts to enhance its investment environment. In 2014 and 2015 it ranked second in the provincial competitiveness index (PCI) and led in two of the ten criteria in the PCI 2015: transparency and labor training.

This year the province has targeted gross regional domestic product (GRDP) to increase 8.5 per cent, the agriculture sector to grow 6.2 per cent, the construction - industrial sector to increase 13 per cent, and the commerce - service sector to increase 8 per cent. The province also targets welcoming 2.3 million tourist arrivals, including 60,000 international tourists, with tourism revenue to reach VND430 billion ($19.2 million).

Dong Thap is in a watershed area of the Mekong Delta, covering 3,374 sq km and with a population of about 1.7 million. Neighboring provinces include Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, and An Giang, as well as Can Tho city, and it shares a border with Cambodia.

by Nhi Linh / VET