On September 10, 2022, a contest called ‘Viet Nam's aspiration: Turning Phan Thiet into the world’s leading destination for MICE and Wellness tourism by 2045’ was launched at Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne in Binh Thuan Province.

The contest is being hosted by the People's Committee of Binh Thuan Province and sponsored by Novaland Group, and seeks to solicit breakthrough ideas for making Binh Thuan Province the leading global MICE and wellness tourism destination by 2045.

The contest got under way on September 10, 2022, and will go on until September 2023, and carries prizes worth more than VND17 billion.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Minh, vice chairman of the Binh Thuan Province people's committee, said: “The contest is an opportunity to promote Phan Thiet - Binh Thuan tourism with quality facilities for MICE and Wellness travel. It is also one of several events to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of Binh Thuan Province and the 27th Binh Thuan Tourism Day (October 24), and associated with launching events for ‘National Tourism Year 2023 – Binh Thuan, Green Convergence’.”

Situated at the gateway to the key economic region of the southeast, Binh Thuan Province also has a strategic position on the south-central coast and is one of the focal points of the southern tourism golden quadrilateral.

Distinctly aware of Binh Thuan’s advantages and potential in terms of favourable geography, abundant nature and standard facilities, the province’s leaders expect to take advantage of all available resources to chart a development course for Phan Thiet but also Binh Thuan Province in general, helping nurture the ambition of one day becoming a world's leading MICE and Wellness tourism destination.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism agency, said at the announcement ceremony: "Viet Nam's tourism picture has many bright spots with signs of prosperity.

“In the first eight months of 2022, the number of international visitors to Viet Nam was more than 1.2 million. The country [also] served nearly 80 million domestic tourists. Total revenues from tourism is estimated at nearly VND357 trillion.

“However, global competition after the COVID-19 pandemic requires us to have long-term orientations and plans, including product innovation, diversification of services, improvement in quality, and promotion of tourism competitiveness in each locality as well as the whole country.

“Attracting investment and developing MICE tourism are among the important orientations for Vietnam's tourism for until 2030.”

To actualise the strategy and aspirations of Phan Thiet city, and the south-central coastal provinces in general, Binh Thuan province issued Plan No. 2447/KH-UBND on July 29, 2022, for the organization of a contest called ‘Vietnam's aspiration: Turning Phan Thiet into the world’s leading destination for MICE and Wellness tourism by 2045.’

It is meant to find and honor excellent ideas for the development of tourism combined with conferences and seminars (MICE) and healthcare (wellness) in Phan Thiet.

It is also an opportunity to introduce to people around the world the image of Phan Thiet as an international-standard tourism destination associated with leisure, healthcare and conferences, and the image of the city and Viet Nam in general.

At the launch ceremony the organising committee also announced the composition of the jury, the topic, the contest rules, and the prizes.

The contest will include two main topics: tourism combined with conferences and seminars (MICE), and tourism combined with healthcare (wellness).

Participants can try their hand at both for the chance to win valuable prizes, including a special prize of VND1 billion.

The winning entries will be selected by the jury comprising representatives of Binh Thuan Province’s government departments and agencies and experts from the fields of tourism, MICE and wellness.

Mr. Bui Xuan Huy, chairman of Novaland Group, the contest sponsor, said: “We believe that Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province, will be welcomed by the international community and the feedback results will help it focus on developing to international standards to soon become a new global destination."

During the one-year period of the contest, there will be many international activities and events associated with the contest to inspire the public and animate the province tourism industry.

These include a Countdown Festival combined with art, light and fashion performances to celebrate the New Year (December 2022), International Food Festival (April 2023) and International Sports Week with the Yoga Festival, International Marathon, International Friendship Golf Tournament (all expected to take place in July or August 2023).

The Awards Ceremony for the Competition will be held in September 2023.

With the size and nature of the contest, the organizing committee hopes to attract the attention of a large number of competitors domestically and internationally.

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