The northern province of Quang Ninh has made thorough preparations as host of the National Tourism Year 2018, planning at least 51 cultural, sports and tourism events, affirmed Director of the provincial Tourism Department Pham Ngoc Thuy.
A corner of Van Don island district
The activities will take place throughout the year under the theme of “Ha Long-Heritage, Wonder, Friendly Destination”.
Highlights of the National Tourism Year 2018 will include the opening ceremony and Carnaval Ha Long 2018 in Ha Long city, which is scheduled for April 28.
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.
According to Mr. Thuy, the province’s master plan on tourism development by 2020 with a vision to 2030 sets the target of turning Quang Ninh into an international tourism centre and the nation’s leading tourism centre which has a synchronous and modern infrastructure system and diversified tourism products.
Mr. Thuy said that by 2020, Quang Ninh, which is home to the World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay, 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), and generate jobs for about 130,000 people.
Deputy Director of the local Department of Transport Bui Hong Minh stated that the locality has mobilised resources on building transport infrastructure in a synchronous and sustainable manner, including the Ha Long – Hai Phong highway which is expected to cut the travel time from Ha Long to Ha Noi from over 3 hours to 1.5 hours by car, the Van Don International Airport, and the Ha Long-Van Don highway.
It is also stepping up preparations to invest in the Ha Long-Mong Cai highway to connect with China’s Guangxi province and ASEAN countries, and speeding up the construction of the Ha Long International Seaport to facilitate operations of five-star cruises.
The head of the local Tourism Department stressed that Quang Ninh is focusing on developing four main tourist zones, namely Ha Long with the centre being Ha Long Bay, Mong Cai-Tra Co with border tourism, Van Don-Co To with island and resort tourism, and Uong Bi-Dong Trieu-Quang Yen with the Yen Tu cultural and spiritual tourism site as the main attraction.
Thanks to its clear investment policies, Quang Ninh has attracted a lot of strategic investors in luxury service tourism projects, thus helping change the face of the province and its tourism sector.
To date, some projects have been put into operation and produced effective results such as the Vincom Ha Long commercial centre, Marina Plaza amusement park, Sun World Ha Long Park, and the five-star Vinpearl Ha Long Bay Resort, Wyndham and Hoang Gia (Royal) Hotels.
In addition, the Ha Long Park; provincial Library-Museum; Sa Vi Border Dissemination Information Complex; and Quang Ninh Planning, Fair And Exhibition Palace have also contributed to diversifying the locality’s tourism products.