The number of tourists to the northern mountainous province of Lao Caifrom January-June surged by nearly 30 percent over the same period lastyear after the Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressway opened in 2014.
Hotels and farm produce in popular destinations such as Sa Pa town,Bac Ha market, and Lao Cai were quickly booked and sold out due to therising volume of vacationers, according to Lu Van Khuyen, Head of theculture-information department in Sa Pa district.
Bac Ha market, for example, saw a year-on-year increase of 20-30 percent in the number of visitors.
Night markets are now open during weekends to meet tourist demand.The Bac Ha district also launched promotion programmes and developedecological tourism along the Chay River.
Chairman of the Sa Pa district’s People’s Committee Trinh Xuan Truongsaid the tourism sector had forecast the surge and mapped out plans tocope with the expansion, but they were too small and have yet to meetthe increasing demand.
Yet this is a good signto promote the sale of local farm products, develop manufacturing andincrease local incomes, he said.
To takeadvantage of the expressway linking Hanoi capital with Lao Cai province,local authorities plan to improve infrastructure and services, expandareas for fruit cultivation and animal livestock, ensure food hygieneand safety and open packaging and souvenir stores.
As an important component of the Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong roadcorridor, the Noi Bai-Lao Cai highway is a key part of a cooperationprogramme between Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and China.-VNA
Hotels and farm produce in popular destinations such as Sa Pa town,Bac Ha market, and Lao Cai were quickly booked and sold out due to therising volume of vacationers, according to Lu Van Khuyen, Head of theculture-information department in Sa Pa district.
Bac Ha market, for example, saw a year-on-year increase of 20-30 percent in the number of visitors.
Night markets are now open during weekends to meet tourist demand.The Bac Ha district also launched promotion programmes and developedecological tourism along the Chay River.
Chairman of the Sa Pa district’s People’s Committee Trinh Xuan Truongsaid the tourism sector had forecast the surge and mapped out plans tocope with the expansion, but they were too small and have yet to meetthe increasing demand.
Yet this is a good signto promote the sale of local farm products, develop manufacturing andincrease local incomes, he said.
To takeadvantage of the expressway linking Hanoi capital with Lao Cai province,local authorities plan to improve infrastructure and services, expandareas for fruit cultivation and animal livestock, ensure food hygieneand safety and open packaging and souvenir stores.
As an important component of the Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong roadcorridor, the Noi Bai-Lao Cai highway is a key part of a cooperationprogramme between Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and China.-VNA
