Direct flights between Hai Phong and countries such as Thailand and the Republic of Korea, localities such as HCM City and Phu Quoc Island District in Kien Giang Province in the south, Da Lat City in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong and Nha Trang City in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa have been launched. Along with favourable transport infrastructure, efforts made by agencies to promote tourism and the involvement of large investors have turned Hai Phong into a popular tourist destination.
At a workshop on Hai Phong tourism held by the municipal Department of Tourism, leading experts in this field from across the country discussed ways to boost local tourism through social communication and developing standard tourism products.
Various tourism promotion activities have been conducted in Cat Hai District, which is the administrative management unit of the Cat Ba Archipelago, an attractive tourist site with leisure, exploration and ecological tourism in the Cat Ba National Park in the island commune of Viet Hai.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Hai Phong, particularly Đo Son beach town, has experience in tourism development.
The northern port city welcomes a large number of visitors every year. In 2017 the locality is expected to greet 5.7 million tourists, the agency said, noting that the target is within reach as about 5.6 million tourists visited Hai Phong last year.
Travel companies will introduce products for their customers, she said, underlining the need for Hai Phong to turn into an attractive and safe destination, different from others in culture and landscape.
However, Cat Ba has failed to fully tap its potential, she said, suggesting Hai Phong extend the duration of tourism projects on the islands to 70 years and shorten the time for administrative procedures while upgrading infrastructure in Cat Ba.