Quang Ninh prepares for National Tourism Year 2018

Ha Long Bay, the World Heritage site in Quang Ninh province (Photo: VNA)

The National Tourism Year 2018 is an opportunity for the northern province of Quang Ninh to promote its image to international friends, said Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Long.

The province, which is home to the World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay, will host the National Tourism Year 2018 themed “Ha Long-Heritage, Wonder, Friendly Destination”. About 100 events will be held during the year by Quang Ninh province, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other localities.

Deputy Director of the Quang Ninh Tourism Department Trinh Dang Thanh said that as the host, the province will arrange a series of cultural, sports and tourism programmes.

Highlights of the event will include the opening ceremony and Carnaval Ha Long 2018 in Ha Long city, which is scheduled for April 28 next year.

Meanwhile, the closing programme will be held in January 2019 in combination with the opening of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019 and the Ha Long - FLC 2019 open golf tournament.

Quang Ninh will accelerate procedures for the early launch of a hydro plane service to Co To Island in summer 2018. The province will also review accommodation facilities across the province to meet tourists’ demand in summer.

As the main venue of many activities during the National Tourism Year, Ha Long City has stepped up various projects such as improving urban infrastructure and lighting system. The city is working hard to complete the construction of several drainage systems and road upgrade by early of 2018 to serve the national tourism event.

The province attracted more than 8.6 million tourists in the first ten months of 2017, including nearly 3.4 million foreigners, year-on-year jumps of 18 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

By 2020, Quang Ninh aims to welcome 15-16 million tourists, including seven million foreigners, and rake in 30-40 trillion VND (1.3-1.7 billion USD) in revenue. The tourism sector is expected to contribute 14-15 percent to the gross regional domestic product (GRDP).

VNA