Ha Long city attracted the largest number of tourists, withabout 81,115 holiday-maker exploring Ha Long Bay over the past four days. Up to26,700 tourists visited the bay each day on April 29 and 30, according to theprovincial Department of Tourism.
Vacationers also flocked to islands in the locality,especially Quan Lan-Minh Chau in Van Don district with around 60,000 touristsand Co To with about 20,000 visitors.
The border city of Mong Cai also lured about 50,000tourists, with some 10,000 Chinese holiday-makers travelling through Mong CaiInternational Border Gate each day.
On April 28, agrand ceremony heralded the National Tourism Year 2018 hosted by Quang Ninhprovince and the Carnaval Ha Long programme, a banquet of music, light and art.
The carnaval is also the firstevent of the 2018 National Tourism Year 2018 themed “Ha Long-Heritage, Wonder,Friendly Destination.”
Last year, Quang Ninh welcomedmore than 10 million tourists, 4 million of them came from other countries. Theprovince aims to attract over 12 million visitors this year, including 5million foreigners.
Under the Overall Plan forTourism Development in Quang Ninh, Quang Ninh strives to become aninternational tourism centre and a leading tourism destination in Vietnam withmodern infrastructure and diverse, high quality and competitive tourismproducts.
By 2020, Quang Ninh aims to welcome 15-16million tourists, including seven million foreigners, and rake in 30 trillionVND - 40 trillion VND (1.3 billion USD - 1.7 billion USD) in revenue. Thetourism sector is expected to contribute 14-15 percent to the gross regionaldomestic product (GRDP).
With a range of stunninglandscapes, clear turquoise sea and spectacular limestone pillars together withnumerous tourism investment projects, Quang Ninh boasts huge potential todevelop tourism.
The province has a coastline of more than 250kilometres and over 2,000 islets, two-thirds of the total number in Vietnam.The spectacular stretch of coast connects the UNESCO-recognised World HeritageSite of Ha Long Bay with majestic natural scenery, Bai Tu Long Bay, Van Don andCo To islands and Tra Co beach with Cat Ba National Park in the northern portcity of Hai Phong.
Along with the renowned Ha Long Bay, Quan Lan,Minh Chau, Ngoc Vung, Dai beaches in Van Don island district and Tra Co andVinh Thuc in Mong Cai city have grown in stature among domestic and internationaltourists thanks to their breathtaking sea and coral reef.-VNA