(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.


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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.

 


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