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T
he picturesque Halong Bay has
long been a must-see destina-
tion for any tourist coming to
Vietnam and in its development
tourism strategy, Quang Ninh authorities
still want to develop this UNESCO-ac-
credited natural world heritage site into
the main tourism centre of the country.
However, although Halong Bay
certainly remains one of the most at-
tractive destinations in Vietnam, most
tourists spend just one night sleeping
on boats. If they stay for a second night,
there is not much else to do.
On average, tourists stay only 1.5
days in Ha Long Bay. In the future, the
local tourism authorities want tourists to
stay at least 2.5 days.
Dinh The Luc, general manager of
South Pacific Travel JSC., the owner
of Phoenix Cruises which has operated
in Halong Bay since 2005, claims the
future looks bright for Quang Ninh tour-
ism because, in addition to Halong Bay,
the province has other attractions such
as Van Don Island and Mong Cai border
town, which have not been developed.
A private company has also turned
Tuan Chau Island in Halong Bay into a
big tourism complex with hotels, dolphin
shows, theatre and circus. However, this
complex has yet to have a big impact on
tourism development of the province.
Furthermore, while there are more
than 8,700 hotel rooms in Halong city,
there is only one international brand
there - the Novotel Halong Bay. All the
others are small and medium-sized ho-
tels operated by private owners that
have not been able to create enough
synergy to attract tourists.
Now, Quang Ninh authorities are
looking to create a breakthrough in
tourism development, tabling an ambi-
tious plan to the country’s top leaders
for approval. The scheme includes the
development of a casino resort complex
on around 2,000 hectares, alongside
luxury resorts, a golf course and an
international airport, with an estimated
investment capital of $4 billion. In or-
der to avoid spoiling Halong Bay, the
authorities have proposed the complex
be built on Van Don Island, to the north.
“We want to develop a tourism com-
plex that will help us create a break-
through in tourism development,” says
Ha Quang Long, director of Quang Ninh
Culture, Sports and Tourism Department.
Although the province has two
small gaming clubs, with one on Bai
Chay beach in Halong Bay and another
in Mong Cai border town, these fa-
cilities are not big enough to attract
a large volume of tourists. Thus, Long
says, the province is now looking to de-
velop Van Don into a high-end tourism
destination with a special administra-
tive and economic status, a casino, a
seaport, an airport, resorts and enter-
tainment facilities.
This move has been welcomed by
those in tourism circles. Luc, from South
Pacific Travel, says an international-
scale tourism complex in Van Don will
diversify tourism products, complement
Halong Bay and keep tourists staying
longer and spending more.
“We need to keep tourists here
longer and coming back many times
with new attractions,” says Luc. “When
we offer more products and quality
services, we can meet the various de-
mands of tourists and encourage them
to spend more.”
The Van Don complex is among the
many new directions that Quang Ninh
authorities will follow with the aim of
developing its tourism industry to a new
level. Long says the province is contract-
ing an American planning company to
help it work out a tourism development
master plan to 2020, with a vision to-
wards 2030. Long says in addition to
the Van Don complex, the province is
also calling for the development of a
190 hectare golf course in Halong city
and another 18-hole course on Tuan
Chau island.
Another direction that local au-
thorities will pursue is to keep the
tourism environment in Halong Bay
clean and develop human resources
that can meet the demand of more
discerning travellers.
In a bid to preserve and enhance the
value of Halong, leaders of Quang Ninh
province have launched a programme
QUANG NINH IN FOCUS
HIGH
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