(HBO) – The fourth wave of COVID-19 infections has strongly affected the Vietnamese economy, with tourism among the sectors hardest hit, and Hoa Binh is not an exception. However, the province has still maintained tourism promotion, product development, and investment attraction so that the local industry can confidently surmount the pandemic.
The Heritage Park of Vietnamese
Scientists in Bac Phong commune (Cao Phong district) boasts fresh air and a
poetic landscape, attracting visitors.
Targeting professional and modern tourism development, over the past years, Hoa
Binh has been effectively tapping its potential and advantages to boost tourism
development.
It welcomed 2.7 million tourist arrivals in
2018, nearly 3 million in 2019, and 1.98 million in 2020 due to the pandemic’s
impacts. The number of visitors stood at more than 1.4 million in 2021 while
tourism revenue was at 1.513 trillion VND (66.2 million USD), respectively
equivalent to 43 percent and 52.2 percent of the year’s targets.
Though the province failed to achieve last
year’s targets, it was still one of the few northern localities with a stable
number of visitors and tourism activities not suspended for too long.
Director of the provincial Department of
Culture, Sports and Tourism Bui Thi Niem attributed the outcomes to Hoa Binh’s
proactive moves to safely adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its
determination to quickly recover the industry.
In particular, promotion activities have still
been held such as boosting communications to introduce Hoa Binh's tourism
potential, carrying out the tourism cooperation programme with northwestern
provinces, and organising famtrips.
Aside from assisting businesses to tackle
difficulties under the Government’s directions, local authorities have also
encouraged travel companies to carry out the debuted demand stimulus packages,
develop new ones, and launch high-quality products and services with reasonable
prices. Hoa Binh has also proactively helped local travel firms partner with
others nationwide, organise some cultural, sports and tourism activities to
attract visitors, and prepare for events in 2022.
This year, the provinces aims to attract 2.5
million tourist arrivals, including 50,000 foreigners, and rake in more than
2.4 trillion VND in revenue.
If the COVID-19 pandemic is put under control in
2022, the Department of of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to organise many
large-scale cultural, sports and tourism activities; uniformly and flexibly
implement domestic travel demand stimulus policies; step up the introduction of
local culture, people, and tourism; create an optimal environment for
attracting investment in tourism and services, particularly major and high-end
hotel, entertainment, and resort complexes, so that Hoa Binh’s tourism will
reach a new height once the pandemic is over.