Published:  11:07 Friday - March 24, 2017

The Danang Tourism Association has written to the Prime Minister and relevant government agencies proposing reviewing the master plan for developing Son Tra Peninsula in Danang City into a national tourism site by 2025 with a vision towards 2030.

The association said no more hotel and resort projects should be licensed on the peninsula as the city already abounds with hotels and resorts in Danang. 

Data shows the city has nearly 600 hotels with some 20,000 guest rooms, which are enough to serve 15 million visitors a year.

Tourist arrivals in the city last year accounted for over one-third of that number.

Son Tra Peninsula should be developed into a sightseeing and entertainment destination to protect nature, the association said, adding motor vehicles should be restricted on the peninsula to reduce noise and pollution.

Seaside resort projects near the Son Tra Mountain should be limited as they may destroy coral reefs, alter water currents, devastate the shoreline and affect the local community.

The association’s chairman Huynh Tan Vinh told the Daily that the unlicensed construction of several dozen villas for tourism purposes on Son Tra Peninsula had sparked public concern.

The felling of trees to make room for these villas is not the main reason for the association’s decision to propose a review but the master plan has some contents which may do harm to the ecosystem of the peninsula.

In the master plan, up to 1,600 guest rooms would be built on the peninsula, which will impact Son Tra’s diverse ecosystem, Vinh said.

He noted the proposal came as investors had been speeding up work on their projects on the peninsula since the city government’s announcement of the master plan in mid-February.

The city cannot do anything with the already-approved projects but new construction projects on the peninsula should be restricted, he said.

The association also stressed the strategic defense location of Son Tra Peninsula. Unplanned hotel and resort projects could undermine security and defense if they are transferred to foreign investors under the Enterprise Law, it said.

The area planned for tourism development on Son Tra Peninsula will cover over 1,000 hectares and house luxury resorts and villa complexes, with the number of guest rooms estimated at 1,600 by 2030.

The area is expected to attract 3.5 million visitors by 2025 and over 4.6 million by 2030.

SGT