Hanoi (VNA) – The northern 𓄧province of Quang Ninh will host the 2018 National Tourism Year and the ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2019, with the events expected to boost local tourism.

The 2018 National Tourism Year is scheduled to draw the participation of cities and provinces like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Lang Son, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Lao Cai, Lam Dong and Khanh Hoa. This is an important tourism event to spur tourism development in the locality, Nguyen Van Tuan, Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said at a recent meeting with the provincial People’s Committee. He urged Quang Ninh to make thorough preparations for the event, from selecting participating provinces and creating its theme to introducing typical tourism products to domestic and foreign friends. The annual ASEAN Tourism Forum is due to take place in mid-January 2019, gathering about 2,000 delegates, including tourism ministers, leaders of national travel agencies, tourism companies and groups. Regarded as the most important forum within ASEAN tourism cooperation, the event will feature activities such as meetings of the tourism ministers and representatives of national travel agencies, conferences, fact-finding trips and a travel exhibition. Vu Thi Thu Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee, said to prepare for the two events, especially the ASEAN Tourism Forum, Quang Ninh has invested in building a fair and exhibition palace designed to accommodate 600 indoor and outdoor booths, a 1,000-seat convention centre and a multi-functional stage with 5,000 seats. Van Don airport in Quang Ninh, scheduled to be operational in 2018, together with Cat Bi airport in the northern port city of Hai Phong, will make it easier for visitors and delegates to attend the events. The Ha Long - Hai Phong Highway, expected to come into operation in 2017, will also facilitate travel between Hanoi and other localities to Quang Ninh, she said. In addition, major attractions and facilities have also been developed such as parks, golf courses and 4-5 star hotels, Thuy added. Quang Ninh is home to the World Natural Heritage of Ha Long Bay, hundreds of national relic sites and several famous resort cities such as Ha Long, Van Don, and Mong Cai. The province’s tourism sector recorded remarkable achievements in the past decade, reflected in surges in the number of tourists arriving in the locality and turnover. In 2015, Quang Ninh earned 6.5 trillion VND (291.6 million USD) from serving nearly 7.8 million visitors, including 2.8 million foreigners. Around 5.4 million tourists, including 2 million foreigners, visited the province in the first six months of this year. The province aims to welcome about 10.5 million tourists in 2016.-VNA