Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park targets 3 million tourists by 2030

Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park is expected to attract about 3 million tourist arrivals and earn 1.5 trillion VND (61.5 million USD) in tourism revenue by 2030.

Quang Binh province looks to attract about 3 million tourists to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park by 2030

The target is part of a plan on ecological, resort, and entertainment tourism for the park in the 2021 - 2030 period recently approved by the People’s Committee of central Quang Binh province.

The plan covers nearly 130,000ha, the majority of which is the forest and mountain located in an area of sustainable forest management.

It is indented to maximise the park’s potential and advantages in terms of natural resources, biodiversity, landscapes, and the cave system along with the beliefs and culture of local ethnic groups. It also aims to improve economic benefits from forest, help provide jobs, raise income, and improve the material and spiritual lives of locals. The region will also develop ecological, resort, and entertainment tourism routes and sites in the park to serve as a basis for attracting tourism investment.

With this plan, Quang Binh looks to increase the number of visitors to Phong Nha - Ke Bang by nearly 13% to 1.5 million and tourism revenue to some 500 billion VND during 2024 - 2025.

To that end, the province has been working to capitalise on the tourism products mentioned in the plan. In particular, it will prioritise developing specific and world-class nature and cave exploration, resort, and entertainment tourism to live up to the potential of the national park – a world natural heritage site.

Over the past years, local authorities have implemented many forest management measures in Phong Nha - Ke Bang, including protecting and sustainably developing forest resources, and conserving natural resources, biodiversity, and endangered plant and animal species. It is also taking great care of landscapes, and cultural and historical values, along with boosting the value of forest environmental services.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, covering more than 123,000 ha, harbours terrestrial and aquatic habitats, primary and secondary forests, sites of natural regeneration, and tropical dense forests. It is also rich in large, often spectacular, and scientifically significant caves, including Son Doong - the world's largest cave.

The property has been honoured as a world natural heritage site twice.

On July 3, 2003, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO recognised this park as a world natural heritage for the site’s exceptional global value in terms of geology and geomorphology.

Twelve years later, on July 3, 2015, the park was once again honoured, this time for the criteria of outstanding value representing the evolutionary and development processes of terrestrial ecosystems, and of possessing meaningful natural habitats for biodiversity conservation./.

VNA