According to Tran Van Ngoan, an official of the provincialDepartment of Natural Resources and Environment, Ha Long Bay, twicerecognised by UNESCO as a world natural heritage, is one of the must-seedestinations whenever visitors come to Quang Ninh as it boasts richbiodiversity along with great historical and cultural values.
Covering a multitude of limestone islands and islets in various sizesand shapes, the bay was voted as one of the seven new wonders of theworld in 2011, he said, adding that the annual Ha Long Carnival is also amagnet to local and foreign tourists.
In addition to famousbays such as Ha Long and Bai Tu Long, Quang Ninh is home to many hot andmineral springs, cultural and historical relic sites, uniquearchitectural works, traditional festivals and craft villages.
The province also possesses a geographic position favourable for itsmarine tourism development as it is an international integration gatewayof the northern key economic region as well as forms part of the “Twocorridors, one economic belt” cooperation between Vietnam and China, andthe Tonkin Gulf Economic Corridor.
With the goal of successfullyimplementing the Vietnam Marine Strategy by 2020, Quang Ninh hasfocused on building its sea and island tourism brand, especiallyhonouring the value of Ha Long Bay, Ngoan said.
It has alsoincreased investment in developing primitive islands such as Co To andVan Don in order to offer new experiences to visitors.
Theprovince has planned to promote its green growth with a view to luringmore domestic and foreign investors by forming a special economic zonewith hi-end tourism services and international-standard trade andfinancial centres in Van Don island district.
In 2013, theprovince served 7.5 million holidaymakers, a year-on-year rise of 7percent, and earned 5 trillion VND (235 million USD) from tourism.
It expects to welcome over 8.4 million tourists by the end of this year, including 3 million abroad.-VNA