Quang Ninh aims to attract 10 million visitors in 2021 if COVID-19 is contained

 Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northern coastal province of Quang Ninh hopes to receive 10 million visitors this year if the COVID-19 pandemic is well contained.

Toward this goal, the Tourism Department has recommended to the provincial People’s Committee and local departments, agencies and localities the organization of around 150 events in different fields from culture-sport to tourism and trade so as to attract visitors and stimulate domestic demand for tourism and consumption.

Immediately after the latest outbreak of COVID-19 in the province was stamped out, the province reopened activities at tourist attractions and places of worship at 0:00 on March 2, while preventive measures are still in place. 

Activities at Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, have also been resumed. 

However, the sites are temporarily only open to those who are living and working in the province. 

From March 3-7, local tourism and service establishments in Quang Ninh served around 13,200 visitors, with more than 2,800 staying overnight.

According to statistics of the Tourism Department, the number of visitors to Quang Ninh in the first quarter stood at around 1 million, equivalent to just 57 percent of the same period last year and 23 percent of the figure in the first quarter of 2019.

To support tourism firms, Quang Ninh has launched four promotion packages worth billions of VND in an effort to maintain incentives for the sector, and offer ticket discounts at numerous famous tourist destinations since last year.

It has also worked to devise new products and hosted various cultural, sports and tourism events, as well as introduced tourism promotions./.