With the view that tourism development is a spearhead economic sector, creating a driving force to promote the development of other industries and fields, making an important contribution to the formation of a modern and sustainable economic structure, the Party Executive Committee of the province has issued Conclusion No. 94-KL/TU dated January 23, 2021 on tourism development in Son La province up to 2025, with orientation to 2030. In particular, the key orientations are identified as: Building appropriate mechanisms and policies, incentives with breakthroughs to attract investment in tourism development; mobilizing all resources on building and developing Moc Chau national tourist area to be recognized by 2025; building the Son La hydropower reservoir in the direction of becoming a national tourist area; building a tourist area in Quynh Nhai district of Bac Yen into a provincial tourist area in the period of 2021-2030. There will be preferential and priority policies, focusing on attracting investment in the construction and development of waterway transport infrastructure (ports, inland waterways), meeting the demand for synchronous connection between the road infrastructure system and waterway tourism in the lake. It will focus on building key tourism products, specific to each locality in the province, associated with potentials and landscapes, creating linkages between types of tourism to develop Son La tourism products which are unique, different, professional, fast developing, sustainable and having international integration. It will build synchronous and safe tourism infrastructure, material and technical facilities, services to meet accommodation needs and other needs of tourists; connected to the national transport and telecommunications infrastructure system; renewing promotion, applying 4.0 technology, digital transformation and developing smart tourism. It will form new tours, developing domestic and international markets; organizing tourism events to introduce tourism products, cultural products and local products to attract tourists.

The tourism industry of Son La province sets some goals to achieve by 2025 such as: the total number of visitors reaching 5.2 million of arrivals, including 0.5 million international arrivals; the total revenue from tourism services reaching VND 4,658 billion with an average growth of 10-20%/year; creating about 3,000 direct jobs... To achieve the above goals, the industry is performing synchronously some tasks and solutions such as: propaganda, education and raising awareness about tourism; building a system of mechanisms and policies to support tourism development in Son La province; improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the state management of tourism; focusing on planning formulation and planning implementation management; implementing projects, schemes on development of tourism infrastructure and detailed schemes on tourism development in Moc Chau national tourist area, building Son La hydropower reservoir area into a provincial tourist resort and with the orientation to put it on the planning category of national tourist destinations... It is mobilizing all resources for tourism development investment; developing products, tourist sites, attractions, community tourism; agricultural tourism, tourism associated with rural development; stepping up activities of promotion, publicity and application of science and technology in tourism development; developing and improving the quality of tourism human resources...

Among the above tasks and solutions, the task of attracting investors to develop tourism products, especially strategic investors to develop tourism quickly and sustainably, creating jobs and increasing incomes for workers, especially in remote areas, border areas, and ethnic minorities, contributing to sustainable poverty reduction is identified as one of the top key tasks. On May 15th, 2021, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 902/QD-UBND on the list of investment attraction projects in Son La province in the 2021-2025 period, including tourism projects and project associated with tourism development such as Ecotourism in Mong village lake, Community tourism in Chieng Sinh commune in Son La city. In Moc Chau, there are projects of developing tourism in Pha Luong peak, cooperating in developing community tourism cultural villages in: Ta So, Doi, Vat, Ang, Ca Dac, Ta Phenh, Pieng Sang, Pieng Lan, Pa Khen sub-area; Chien Vien Pagoda (Vat Hong); the cultural and spiritual tourist area of Truc Lam; Phieng Luong ecological, resort and entertainment area; the eco-tourism center of Moc Chau Farm town; Developing community tourism in Lim stream. In Van Ho, there are projects of developing Hua Tat community tourism; developing tourism in Chieng Yen; the spiritual tourist area of Mien Cave temple; Chieng Khoa waterfall eco-tourism; Preserving Tang Me tomb cave. In Phu Yen, there are projects of the historical relic of the resistance war against the French in the forest of Nhot village; Chieu stream tourism. In Yen Chau, there are projects of Chieng Khoi Lake eco-tourism site, Chieng Dong hot water resort, the spiritual tourism site of Chi Day cave...

From the master plan for tourism development in Son La province; the overall planning and general planning on development of the national tourist site of Moc Chau; the master plan for tourism development in Son La hydropower reservoir area..., so far, those plans have been gradually realized, many large-scale projects have been paid attention and deployed, not only awakening potentials but also contributing to the development of Son La tourism worthy of being the tourist center of the Northwest region. Specifically these include: the high-class resort and entertainment area in the pine forest of Ang village, in Moc Chau district; the detailed construction planning of hotel and service residential areas, mountain villas and resort areas of Moc Chau national tourist area with the scale of 1/500; the complex of ecological farm and high-tech dairy cow farm in Moc Chau Milk Paradise; preserving the typical agricultural ecosystem of Moc Chau tea; Moc Chau Island project; planning for Long Sap Moc Chau international border gate; the idea of Van Ho Stream Tourism Village Project - Van Ho entertainment urban complex, the project of Vigolando Community Tourist Site;...

Along with comprehensive and synchronous solutions for tourism development, Son La province also pays special attention to particular solutions in order to ensure safe, flexible adaptation and effective control of the Covid-19 epidemic in tourism activities so that Son La is really a safe destination to attract tourists, continuing to create momentum for tourism development.

By Vietnam Business Forum