2016 National Tourism Year launched

The event was held jointly by the provincial People's Committee in co-ordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Huynh Vinh Ai affirmed that Vietnam's tourism sector has made impressive progress in the past years. In 2015, Vietnam received around eight million foreign tourists and 57 million domestic visitors, earning total revenue of VND 330 trillion (about US$14.75 billion), he noted. According to the Kien Giang People's Committee, the main tourism products planned for the tourism year include eco-tourism and sea-island packages; tours to craft villages; tours to festivals and religion sites; MICE tours, and tours connecting Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. The organising committee has also chosen the logo of the National Tourism Year 2016 Phu Quoc-Mekong Delta, with a bright sun in the middle representing Phu Quoc Island and 13 rays of light symbolizing 13 Mekong Delta localities. Also on the occasion, the U Minh Thuong National Park was awarded a certificate by the Ramsar Convention, which recognises important wetlands across the world. During the opening ceremony, a celebration for the 280th anniversary of the Chieu Anh Cac Literary Coterie also took place. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of 1736, Admiral Tran Ha Tien and poet Mac Thien Tich established the Chieu Anh Cac Literary Coterie, which is considered the country's second literary forum in the first half of the 18th century. With 12 provinces and one centrally run city, the Mekong Delta is considered the country's biggest region for rice and fruit production. Kien Giang is home to many popular tourist sites such as U Minh Thuong National Park, the Giant Buddha Pagoda and Phu Quoc Island.

(Source: Nhandan Online)