The northern province of Lao Cai is improving the quality of its tourism services and developing transport infrastructure towards becoming a striking destination in the northern mountainous region.
In the second half of this year, local authorities plan to work with the Steering Committee for the northwest region to build a national tourism plan for 2017 and bolster tourism cooperation with eight northwest provinces.
The locality will coordinate with the management board from the EU, the French Aquitaine region and the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism to realise signed cooperation agreements on supporting tourism development and human resources training.
The province is also speeding up the implementation of transport infrastructure projects, especially in popular tourism sites such as Sa Pa, Bac Ha and Bat Xat while connecting transport networks between the province and its neighbours, upgrading several highways and expanding inter-provincial roads.
The provincial People’s Committee is also directing relevant departments and sectors to address issues such as public restrooms, environmental sanitation and waste treatment at tourist sites.
According to the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the province welcomed over 1 million visitors in the first six months of 2015, a year-on-year rise of 15 percent.
The tourism sector fetched nearly 2.3 trillion VND (103 billion USD) in revenue in the period, a yearly increase of 15 percent.
Sa Pa, Bac Ha, Bat Xat and Muong Khuong are the most popular destinations with 20-30 percent growth in the volume of visitors.