A marine tourism festival opened on April 29 in Sam Son town, central Thanh Hoa province, drawing tens of thousands of tourists from across the country.

The event was an activity of the National Tourism Year 2015 in Thanh Hoa.

During the event, a wide range of traditional art performances were held, featuring the beauty of the local beaches and people, and promoting the potential for economic and tourism development.

A firework performance was also a festival highlight.

A number of games, cuisine festivals and traditional rituals have also taken place across the town.

Sam Son plays a key role in promoting the local tourism potential for the National Tourism Year 2015 in the province. The locality aims to welcome 3.5 million tourists in 2015, generating 2 trillion VND (95 million USD).

In order to realise these targets, the town has undertaken great efforts to improve its services and infrastructure facility quality.

Publicity campaigns have also been expanded to promote local potential in domestic and international markets.

In 2014, Sam Son received 3.15 million arrivals and earned 1.8 trillion VND (84 million USD), the highest amount it has ever recorded.-VNA