He made the remarks while attending a conference on promoting investment in tourism in the Northwest region held in Ho Chi Minh on November 23. The event is jointly held by the Northwest Steering Committee; the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.
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Deputy PM Phuc, who is also head of the Northwest Steering Committee, said this was the first conference on boosting tourism of the Northwest region held in Ho Chi Minh City, and was expected to introduce the potential and investment opportunities of the remote region to investors and enterprises in the country's most dynamic hub.
The Northwest region has 12 national tourism sites with majestic scenery and is home to 32 ethnic minority groups. However, the region is one of the most disadvantaged of the country with untapped tourism potential.
The Deputy PM affirmed that the conference opened new co-operation opportunities for the Northwest and Ho Chi Minh City to 'awaken' the tourism potential of the region.
He hoped that Ho Chi Minh City will encourage its tourism and travel enterprises to bring tourists to the Northwest region.
At the conference, delegates discussed issues related to traffic infrastructure, investment attraction and incentives for enterprises to effectively utilise natural advantages and tourism potential of the Northwest region.
The region received only 8.7 million visitors in 2014 including 1.5 foreign visitors (equivalent to nearly 10% of the nation's total foreign visitors).
NDO
.jpg "Phu Quy Island starts peak tourism season")
