Terraced rice fields in Yen Bai province (Photo: VNA)Dien Bien (VNA) – The expanded northwesternregion welcomed more than 20 million tourists in 2018, including nearly 2million foreigners, heard a conference in Dien Bien province’s Dien Bien Phucity on March 17.
The expanded northwestern provinces, namely Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Hoa Binh, Son La,Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Phu Tho and Ha Giang, earned a combined nearly 23 trillionVND (989 million USD) from the tourism sector, up 26 percent year-on-year andexceeding the set target by 9 percent.
According to the steering board for the tourism cooperation programme in eight expandednorthwestern provinces, the localities focused on developing special tourismproducts and paid attention to tourism promotion through exhibitions andcommunication work.
They sent delegations to the Vietnam-Northern Laos tourism promotion conferencein the Lao province of Luang Prabang and carried out tourism cooperationactivities in Laos’ northern provinces.
However, the development pace has yet to match their potential and advantages,the board said, pointing out limitations in technical infrastructure, transportand human resources, along with unattractive inter-regional tourism products.
Besides, the region has failed to attract large-scale projects to createbreakthroughs for the local tourism sector, while cooperation programmes have notbrought about good outcomes, the board added.
In 2019, the board aims to step up tourism connectivity and promotion, as wellas human resources development in service of the sector.
Special attention will be paid to cooperation in tourism product developmentbetween the eight provinces by organising a photo contest, developing waterwaytourism connecting Hoa Binh with Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau through DaRiver, and implementing cooperation documents signed with Laos’ northernprovinces.
They provinces will continue to participate in international travel fairs and promotenorthwestern culture in Hanoi, while organising training courses for tourismworkers.-VNA
VNA
