Quang Ninh province plans to open its representative offices in Japan and the Republic of Korea in an effort to introduce its tourism potential to international friends.
The offices will be tasked with collating and distributing information, organising Vietnamese tourism promotions, providing counseling services for Japanese and Korean investors interested in the Vietnamese tourism industry, and hosting other economic and cultural activities.
The provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has contacted tourism authorities in Japan and the RoK to reach a consensus on the finer details of the plan.
The idea for internationally based representative tourism offices has been raised a number of times before but none were able to reach fruition. Operational budgets are always a major obstacle.
The establishment of the offices is expected to mark a new development in the province's promotional strategy and Vietnam tourism's global presence more generally.
Japan and the RoK are two of Vietnam's largest tourist markets. In the first four months of 2013, 274,000 Korean travellers visited Vietnam, a year-on-year increase of 49.3%.
Quang Ninh is a popular tourist destination as it is home to Ha Long Bay which has been twice recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Site for its natural and geological values.
Ha Long has also been rated as one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world, and voted as one of the new World Natural Wonders.