National Tourism Year 2021: A chance to lift the hospitality sector

The event will kick off with the Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival, which opens on February 14, or the sixth day of the first lunar month.

The provincial People's Committee on January 14 released a plan to organise a National Tourism Year, eyed as an important cultural, economic and social event for the country.

The event is expected to strengthen tourism links between localities across the country while promoting the land and people of Vietnam and Ninh Binh province in particular to visitors at home and abroad.

It will also provide an opportunity for the tourism sector to develop new products and increase the quality of its products and services in order to meet the increasing demands of visitors.

Under a plan announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there were two options for the opening ceremony at the cultural and historical Hoa Lu ancient citadel site.

Accordingly, the National Tourism Year will kick off on March 20 if the COVID-19 pandemic is under control or on April 29 if the pandemic has not yet been fully brought under control.

Although the date of the opening ceremony has not yet been fixed, Ninh Binh province is ready to offer various activities throughout the year, including festivals at the Bai Dinh Pagoda, Hoa Lu ancient citadel, and the Trang An Landscape Complex; a Tam Coc - Trang An tourism week; and assorted photo and art exhibitions.

In addition, a wide range of cultural and sporting activities will take place under the framework of the event, such as the final round of the Miss Capital ASEAN 2021, festivals at Thai Vi Temple and Hoa Lu Cave, the Southeast Asian karate championships, a Volleyball Tournament, namely the Hoa Lu Cup 2021., a beauty pageant, and a festival for Xam singing (ballads sung by wandering blind musicians) clubs in the northern region.

Exciting events will also be held in 27 cities and provinces nationwide, including Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Ca Mau and Lam Dong, in response to the National Tourism Year.

According to Duong Thi Thanh, Chairwoman of the Ninh Binh Provincial Tourism Association, the province is exerting every effort to host National Tourism Year 2021.

The organising board will take advantage of digitalisation in tourism in order to popularise the programme to visitors, thus attracting more vacationers to the province, she revealed.

The provincial People's Committee has requested close coordination between functional departments, sectors, organisations, businesses and residents as well as tightened management in tourism activities for the success of the event.

(Source: NDO)