National Tourism Year 2021 wraps up in Ninh Binh Province

Vice Chairman of Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee Tran Song Tung said Ninh Binh successfully hosted the National Tourism Year 2021, themed "Hoa Lu - Thousand-year-old Capital", with many vibrant events, contributing to boosting the tourism sector.

Specifically, the opening ceremony of the Year created great spillover effects and timely encouragement for the tourism sector to overcome all difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Tourism Year 2021 provided an opportunity for Ninh Binh to promote its historical and cultural values and famous landscapes to both domestic and international tourists.

However, due to the fourth outbreak of COVID-19, Ninh Binh welcomed only about 1.3 million visitors, a year-on-year decrease of 49.5 percent, and earned an estimated 935 billion VND, down 41%.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Doan Van Viet affirmed that the National Tourism Year 2021 was expected to become the first event to restart domestic and international tourism activities. However, the fourth outbreak of COVID-19 caused the suspension of many socio-economic activities, especially in tourism.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism appreciated the efforts made by Ninh Binh to organise the National Tourism Year 2021 as well as the flexible adaptation from other localities, notably Ca Mau, Quang Nam, Thua Thien Hue, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ninh.

However, due to the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector served only 40 million domestic tourists and the total revenue from tourism activities reached 180 trillion VND.

At the closing ceremony, Ninh Binh Province's leaders handed over the flag of National Tourism Year to Quang Nam, the host of the National Tourism Year 2022.

On the occasion, Ninh Binh Province presented certificates of merit to 29 collectives and 60 individuals who have gained outstanding achievements in the organisation of the National Tourism Year 2021.

Translated by Nguyen Thuy