The central provinces saw a rise in number of tourists to their beaches during the four-day national holiday in early May, signaling a bright prospect for sea tourism in the region in particular and in the nation in general, an official has said.
According to Ngo Hoai Chung, Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), the central region saw a year-on-year increase of around 3 percent in the number of visitors in the first four months this year. International arrivals surged 11-12 percent from the same period last year.
My Khe Beach (Da Nang City)
During the holiday on the occasions of the National Reunification Day and the International Labour Day from April 30 to May 3, all accommodation facilities were occupied up to 95 percent, Chung cited local reports as saying.
Under the Ministry’s national action plan for tourism development in 2017, priorities are given to assist the central region to recover tourism development from a slump after the marine environment incident last year, according to Chung.
A number of measures have been implemented including arranging famtrips for press representatives and encouraging tourist agencies to develop new sea-related products. Assistance will be provided to local tourism sector to train human resources for tourism services and hospitality.
Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Quang Nam province Le Van Thanh said Quang Nam Heritage Festival 2017 is expected to be a major event in the sea tourism season, with numerous activities such as an international kite flying contest in Tam Thanh beach and a choir competition with the participation of 32 troupes from 15 countries and territories.
Deputy Director of Vietrantour Pham Thi Bich Ngoc said the company expects to serve 15,000 visitors during this summer, up nearly 30 percent from the same period last year. The most popular tours are those to beaches in Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan in the central region.
Other sea destinations also hope for a good season. Deputy Director of Tourism Department of the northern province of Quang Ninh Trinh Dang Thanh said since the start of summer, the province has welcomed over 320,000 arrivals, partly thanks to the “Ha Long - Quang Ninh Tourism Week 2017”.
The sea tourism season is expected to see an increase of 30-35 percent from 2016 in the number of visitors.