I. Objectives

1. General objectives

- Considering tourism as a leading economic industry of the province

- Expanding tourism area in the whole city and rural, mountainous, areas

- Promoting tourism development toward sustainability, contributing to improving the quality of life based on available potential and advantages.

- Striving for brand of Lao Cai tourism in the list of top 10 international tourism destinations of Vietnam.

2. Specific objectives to 2015

The objectives for provincial tourism development up to 2015 include:

- Total tourists to Lao Cai reach 1.5 million arrivals. Tourism revenue gains 3,412 billion VND.

- The number of tourism accommodations reach 480, of which 1+ star hotels are  75 including 15 of 3+ star ones with about 1,300 rooms, increasing total rooms of 1-5 star hotels to 3,200.

- Total employees are 8,500, of which 2,500 are direct ones

- Average length of stay is 3.5 days in 2015.

- Average expenditure per day/tourist is 650,000 VND.

II. Tasks

1. Planning and targeting tourism markets

- 3 tourism zones

+ Zone 1: Lao Cai City - Sa Pa - Bat Xat. Lao Cai City to be a tourism hub, aiming to exploit business tourists, Sa Pa to be a national tourism city with mountain leisure products. Bat Xat is planed to be a cultural and ecological tourism center in order to reduce overloading in Sa Pa and Lao Cai city.

+ Zone 2: Bac Ha - Muong Khuong - Si Ma Cai districts. Bac Ha is the center and  the others are satellite sites. Linking Bac Ha - Si Ma Cai - Muong Khuong route with Ha Giang Province and Chau Van Son (China).

+ Zone 3: Bao Thang - Bao Yen - Van Ban districts focusing on spiritual tourism, community tourism and developing rest stops.

- Building community-based tourism and terrace culture products. Ta Van and Ta Phin villages (Sa Pa) are model tourist sites.

- Targeted markets: focusing on international tourists from developed countries and China, enhancing to attract domestic tourists.

2. Infrastructure investment

- Lao Cai city: designing pilot tours to visit factories, industrial parks in province.

- Sa Pa: designing tours to visit terrace fields in Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai) - Sa Pa - Bat Xat (Lao Cai) - Nguyen Duong (China). Building two observing towers in Y Linh Ho village (San Sa Ho commune) and Vu Lung Sung village (Trung Chai commune) and a trade center to serve tourists. Building shopping area at community-base tourism sites selling ethnic people's products.

- Bac Ha District: developing tours to visit ethnic fairs, historic sites and handicraft villages; adventure tourism, ecotourism and community tourism along Chay river. Developing infrastructure and tourism service in route of Bac Ha – Lau Thi Ngai - Ta Van Chu - Can Cau - Si Ma Cai.

-  Bao Ha Temple - Bao Yen: developing spiritual tourism at Bao Ha Temple and the tourist route linking Bao Ha - Pho Rang Townlet - Trung Do ancient citadel - Hoang A Tuong palace.

3. Tourism product

- Developing new tourism products through "using heritage sites into tourism products": spiritual tourism, historic tourism, cultural tourism. Up to 2015, building from 5 to 10 community-based tourism villages.

- Improving tourism service quality, developing tours to Hoang Lien National Park, agricultural area, factories, industrial parks.

4. Personal training

- Training 150 management staff in tourism areas.

- Training on community-based tourism for 2,000 minority ethnic people.

- Training professional knowledge for 1,000 labours, teachers in tourism sector of the province

- Training interpreting skill for 500 ethnic people

- Training English for 1,000 minority ethnic people from tourism developed villages

- Organizing 2 training courses on soft skills for staffs of customs, quarantine, border security, immigration, border trade management board.

- Organizing 3 provincial level contests on hotel reception, tour guide and traditional cuisine

- Improving training capacity and human resources for Lao Cai's Culture, Arts and Tourism School

5. Promotion

- Receiving 4 famtrips; organizing roadshows in Ho Chi Minh City, Kunming - Yunnan Cities of China; participating ITE-HCM (Vietnam) and CITM (China).

- Organizing culture and tourism events and producing brochures, guide books, tourist maps.

- Constructing 10 information tourism kiosks, and producing 8 large posters advertising in: 4E national road to Sa Pa; intersection point between Yen Bai and Lao Cai, Lao Cai and Lai Chau; T-junction Ban Phiet, T-junction Bao Nhai, Bao Ha, Tran Hung Dao Avenue and Kim Thanh Bridge

- Improving website Sa Pa-tourism.com and fansipanvietnam.com into tourist websites

- Organizing Lao Cai tourism's logo, slogan contest.

Hong Thanh