Quang Ninh (VNA) - The northern province ofQuang Ninh and the central city of Da Nang have shaken hands on a shared tourismpromotional programme, to further exploit local tourist sites and help travel companiesrecover.

The two localities jointly held a programme in QuangNinh’s Ha Long city on July 20 to introduce the strengths of each side and announcenew tourism products.

According to Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People’s CommitteeLe Trung Chinh, Da Nang and Quang Ninh share many similarities and advantagesin tourism development and have coordinated in this regard since 2010.

They will continue to work together in building newtourism products and opening new tours connecting the two localities, topromote tourism on “one journey, two destinations”.

Da Nang has launched a programme entitled “DanangThank You 2020” from May to the end of the year, offering high quality servicesat reasonable prices to attract visitors.

The programme has seen the involvement of more than150 travel companies offering various promotional programmes.

The city has focused on three tourism events at differenttimes of the year. From July 17 to 31 it is running Danang Fantastic Beach,with a promotional week and added services for beach resorts, while DanangFantastic Fortnight, designed for shopping and entertainment, will take placefrom November 23 to December 6, and the Danang Fantastic Week, highlightingactivities to celebrate Christmas and the new year, from December 22 to 28.

Da Nang is offering free tickets to a number ofdestinations from June 1 to August 31, including Ngu Hanh Son, the Cham Museum,the Da Nang Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts. In particular, the Asia Park -Sunworld Danang Wonder will be open for free until the end of the year.

Vice Chairwoman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People’sCommittee Nguyen Thi Hanh said both the province and Da Nang are aware of thesignificance of regional cooperation and links as a strategy to bolster tourismdevelopment.

Quang Ninh is rich in tourist sites, boasting Ha LongBay, a World Natural Heritage Site, along with the Yen Tu historical andlandscape area, with over 600 historical relic sites.

Visitors to Quang Ninh can also explore the culture ofits 22 ethnic minority groups and enjoy the local hospitality.

In mid-May it launched a 200 billion VND package toencourage travellers to visit the area, while providingfree entry to all tourist sites on Ha Long Bay for all tourists, excludingthose who stayed overnight on cruise ships, and for the Quang Ninh Museum andYen Tu area. The sites will also offer free entry on special days throughoutthe year. In June and July, visitors buying two tickets receive one free.

Passengers on flights to and from VanDon International Airport in Quang Ninh province will receive free return ticketson a luxury bus from the airport to Ha Long city and Uong Bi district, valid tothe end of the year.

Quang Ninh province has cutsightseeing fees and overnight stay costs on Ha Long Bay by half from July 10to September 30.

It aims to make tourism a spearheadsector driving local socio-economic development and for the local tourismsector to be one of the best in the country and Southeast Asia. The province expects15-16 million visitors, including 7 million foreigners, in 2020, and 30 millionvisitors, including 15 million foreigners, in 2030.

The Van Don - Da Nang air route willbe re-opened on July 30 to serve travellers between the two localities./.