Developing Ca Mau tourism brand in the national tourism landscape

According to tourism experts, once the government, businesses and the community work together, Ca Mau will not only be the southernmost point of the country but can also become a green and emotional pole, contributing to enriching the Vietnamese tourism brand on the international map.

Mr. Ngo Vu Thang, Vice Chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee, spoke at the workshop on the afternoon of September 28.

Many bottlenecks need to be removed

On the afternoon of September 28, the People's Committee of Ca Mau province coordinated with the Vietnam Tourism Association, the Department of Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau to organize a workshop on "Positioning the Ca Mau tourism brand in the overall national tourism". This is an event in response to World Tourism Day on September 27 with the theme "Ca Mau - The southernmost point of the country, where nature and peace converge".

Mr. Ngo Vu Thang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ca Mau province, said that the merger with Bac Lieu has opened up a large development space, helping Ca Mau become a new growth pole of the Mekong Delta. With more than 100,000 hectares of Melaleuca forests and mangrove forests recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve and many prominent destinations such as U Minh Ha National Park, Ca Mau Cape National Tourist Area and national coordinate landmarks, Ca Mau has a clear advantage to form unique products that do not overlap with other localities.

However, the traffic infrastructure is still not synchronous, image promotion is still limited, service quality is uneven, human resources are weak in skills and foreign languages... are bottlenecks that prevent Ca Mau tourism from fully exploiting its potential.

Tourists experience forest planting at Mui Ca Mau National Park.

From a business perspective, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tan, General Director of Saco Tourism Company, Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, said that Ca Mau has the advantage of a unique blend of forests, seas and indigenous culture, which is the foundation for building distinctive products.

Accordingly, the locality can completely form emotional tourism programs such as: the journey "One day at the end of the Fatherland" with the experience of watching the sunrise and sunset at Ca Mau Cape, visiting the mangrove forest by sampan and interacting with fishermen or the program "Old Soul of the Prince - Southern Melody" associated with the Prince of Bac Lieu, amateur music and traditional cuisine.

In addition, you can combine a visit to U Minh Ha Melaleuca forest, a homestay in a fishing village and a Khmer festival in the journey "Green Forest - Silver Sea - Multi-colored Culture".

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tan, Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association spoke at the Workshop.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tan said that to effectively implement, it is necessary to develop products according to the value chain with the connection between businesses, communities and managers. Ca Mau also needs to invest in upgrading accommodation infrastructure, means of transport, improving service quality, and promoting digital technology.

In particular, regional links with Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta provinces to form inter-provincial tours will help increase attraction. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is a key tourist market with a large demand for weekend and eco-tourism. If effectively connected, it will become a strong driving force for Ca Mau tourism.

Brand development from unique values

Dr. Duong Duc Minh, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Tourism Economic Development Research, said that Ca Mau's growth does not only come from its large area or potential number of visitors, but also from its brand positioning based on unique values.

Accordingly, Ca Mau converges many unique resources such as the sacred southernmost position, the mangrove ecosystem and U Minh Ha, the diverse Kinh - Hoa - Khmer ethnic communities, and wind and marine energy sources associated with "blessings from the sea".

Tourists are excited before joining the night tour to catch three-sided crabs in Ca Mau.

From this foundation, Mr. Duong Duc Minh also proposed three strategic messages to define the Ca Mau tourism brand, including: "Touching the South Pole - Anchoring emotions" affirms the special experience when setting foot on the end of the country, where each trip becomes a deep memory; "Blessings from the sea" exploits the endless value that the ocean bestows, from renewable energy, rich fishing grounds to culinary culture and OCOP products; "The end to begin" suggests a suggestive paradox, where the South Pole coordinates are not the end but the beginning of the aspiration to reach out to the ocean.

Dr. Duong Duc Minh also said that to effectively position a tourism brand, it is important to transform geographical position into sustainable added value. This value does not stop at revenue or number of visitors but must be the emotions and memories that tourists bring with them after each trip. When setting foot on Ca Mau Cape, wading through mangrove forests or listening to traditional music, tourists do not simply consume services but participate in the process of co-creating a brand. Those memories and emotions will be recounted, spread and returned to, becoming an effective and sustainable natural communication channel.

Meanwhile, from a management perspective, Mr. Nguyen Ho Hai, Secretary of the Ca Mau Provincial Party Committee, said that tourism not only contributes significantly to economic growth but is also an effective channel to promote the image of the country and Vietnamese people to the world. Vietnam's tourism achievements in recent times, with many prestigious international awards, are a source of common pride and also a driving force for Ca Mau to affirm its own brand in the national tourism development strategy.

Ca Mau is blessed by nature with a large mangrove ecosystem to develop green tourism.

According to the Provincial Party Secretary, Ca Mau is currently blessed with a vast mangrove ecosystem, river landscapes and a rich community culture. This is a valuable resource for the creation of unique tourism products. However, the province is also facing many limitations and difficulties that need to be resolved.

Accordingly, in order for Ca Mau tourism to develop to its full potential, in the coming time, Ca Mau province needs to focus on a number of solutions such as: continuing to invest in synchronous transport infrastructure and tourism utilities, especially routes connecting to Dat Mui; promoting brand promotion using digital technology and cooperating with major travel agencies; building unique tourism products such as mangrove eco-tourism, community tourism, experiencing seafood cuisine and local culture.

Besides, the province also needs to strengthen training of high-quality human resources, linking tourism development with conservation of natural resources, cultural heritage and preservation of sustainable living environment...

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau province, since the beginning of the year, the province has welcomed about 5.2 million visitors, reaching 61% of the yearly plan, with estimated revenue of VND 4,890 billion, equivalent to 57% of the yearly target. Key destinations such as Ca Mau Cape, U Minh Ha National Park, Khai Long Tourist Area and many other ecological and community sites continue to maintain their appeal. At the same time, the province has promoted and promoted its image at cultural and tourism events, applied digital transformation in introducing OCOP products and cuisine, contributing to enhancing the experience and attracting tourists to the southernmost land of the Fatherland.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/du-lich/phat-trien-thuong-hieu-du-lich-ca-mau-trong-tong-the-du-lich-quoc-gia-20250928160946549.htm