Quang Ninh (VNA) – Ha Long city of the northerncoastal province of Quang Ninh, located on the banks of the UNESCO WorldHeritage Site of Ha Long Bay, is still a popular tourist attraction with nearly7.15 million visitors in the first eight months of this year, up 22 percentyear on year.

In the period, the city earned 14 trillion VND from tourism,showing the high efficiency of the city’s investment in the service and tourismsector.

Boasting abundant potential for tourism development, Ha Longhas long been an ideal destination for holidaymakers. One of the highlights isHa Long Bay, which has been recognised twiceby UNESCO as a global heritage site for its landscape and geological value.

This year, the bay was labelled as one of themost mentioned global cruise destinations on Instagram by British magazineWoman and Home.

It was also listed among the 25 most beautifulplaces around the world by the US’s Cable News Network (CNN), and among themost popular attractions in Asia according to the Hong Kong-based South ChinaMorning Post.

To optimise the tourism potential, every year, the city hasbuilt a yearly working plan with tasks and measures focusing on building acivilised and friendly city.

In 2016, the city concentrated on building a culturedlifestyle and urban landscape, while improving the quality, responsibility andefficiency of public servants’ operation, towards turning Ha Long into afriendly and cultured city.

In 2017, the city focused on tightening administrativeprinciples and disciplines, continuing to improve the city’s landscape andbuild a civilised and friendly tourism environment.

The theme for 2018 was protecting and improving the qualityof the natural environment and building a smart city, while that of 2019 isincreasing the quality and efficiency of services, and promoting the buildingof a green, clean and smart city.

Alongside, the city has launched tourism projects, includingthose on developing the city centre with a focus on Bai Tho mountain, promotingHa Long city’s tourism products, preserving and developing the cultural valueof fishing villages in Ha Long Bay, piloting a model road of Ha Long in Cai Damarea of Bai Chay ward, and strengthening the quality and management of tourismboats operating in Ha Long Bay.

During the implementation process, Ha Long city has madeplanning public in order to attractinvestment in service-tourism sectors tocreate new products.

The city has prioritized developing the network of entertainment,shopping, restaurant and port facilities, while fostering linkage with otherlocalities as well as businesses to promote the efficiency of communicationsworks such as the Van Don International Airport, highways, inland waterway portsand seaports.

One of the most obvious changes seen in the city over theyear is the infrastructure system, which has contributed to promoting Ha Longcity’s tourism development.

Regarding connection with the outside, the city hasdeveloped highways and the first specialised passenger port of the country,locatedbetween Van Don International Airport and Cat Bi Airport of Hai Phongcity.

Both domestic and foreign investors have considered Ha Longcity a promising land with high opportunities of gaining profit. They havelaunched many infrastructure, tourism and service projects in the locality.

Tourism products of Ha Long have been built in accordance withspecific areas, creating diverse and connected chains.

Ha Long tourism has been renovated in both performance andquality, resulting in new breakthroughs in the restructuring of other economicsectors.

Tourism activities and the number of visitors in the citysaw sharp rises in the first eight months of this year, almost completing thetarget set in Resolution 05-NQ/TU of the city for 2020 of welcoming 8 milliontourists.

The result is considered a great success of Ha Long city intransforming the growth model from “brown” to “green” in conformity with theplanning and development orientation of the Government and the province./.