Binh Dinh (VNA) – Binh Dinh province is preparingfor the peak tourism season this year with various activities to lure visitors,stated Ho Quoc Dung, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

Dung said that in the first quarter of 2019, the southcentral province welcomed 1.14 million visitors, up 16.1 percent over the sameperiod in 2018, including 96,000 foreigners.

Total earnings of the sector in the period reached 981.7billion VND, up 20.6 percent year on year, he noted.

This year, the locality will hold the seventh Vietnam VovinamFestival 2019 from August 8-11, which is expected to attract more than 3,000visitors. A marathon held by online newspaper VnExpress will take place inJune, while a national boxing championship will be held in September.

Noting that the capacity of tourism sector of the provincehas yet to match visitors’ demand, Dung said the province has designed variousmeasures to attract investment in tourism and encourage locals to engage in thefield.

Alongside, the province has focused on expanding tourisminfrastructure and high quality accommodation, while improving the quality oftourism services and products, he said.

Since 2016, the province has attracted nearly 18 trillionVND of investment in tourism, while approving nine tourism projects, 15 resortprojects and one safari park.

Thr province has 236 hotels with 5,554 rooms and 49 travelfirms. Many big projects, including the five-star The Coastal Hill resort andvillas, four-star Maia Quy Nhon Beach, TMS Luxury Hotel & Residence QuyNhon and FLC Sea Tower are underway.

Local authorities have paid much attention to supervising tourismservice providers in the province to handle law violations, stated Dung.

Binh Dinh is richin cultural and historical traditions and boasts many scenic sites along its134km-long coast. Notably, Quy Nhon city has diverse terrain including plainland, hills, mountains, rivers, lakes, sea and islands. Along with relic sitesand beautiful natural landscapes, visitors to this city can also exploretraditional arts and festivals, craft villages, the Binh Dinh martial art, aswell as local food.

Dung underscored that it is not only beautiful landscapesthat attract visitors, but the cultural identity of the area and hospitality oflocals.-VNA