Dien Bien targets more than 800,000 tourists in 2019 hinh anh 1A performance at the bauhinia flower festival 2018 in Dien Bien (Photo: VNA)

Dien Bien (VNA) – The northwestern province of Dien Bien has set a target of attracting up to 870,000 visitors in 2019, up 17 percent over 2018, including 180,000 foreign tourists.

The province, famous for the glorious Dien Bien Phu victory against the French colonists, aims to earn 1.36 trillion VND (58.48 million USD) from tourism in the year, a rise of 17.7 percent over 2018.

In 2019, Dien Bien will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, 110 years of its establishment and 70 years of the founding of the provincial Party Committee with various activities.

According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the locality will hold 15 major cultural activities, including a Muong Lay boat racing, a cherry blossom festival, a bauhinia flower festival and a culture, sport and tourism day.

The department reported that so far this year, Dien Bien has welcomed more than 700,000 visitors, 103.67 percent of its yearly target, including more than 150,000 foreign tourists. Tourism revenue has exceeded 1.15 trillion VND (49.45 million USD).

Currently, Dien Bien has 145 tourism accommodation facilities and five travel firms. The tourism sector has created jobs for more than 13,000 labourers, including 5,000 direct employees.

Along with beautiful natural landscapes, Dien Bien is also rich in historical relic sites.

The Dien Bien Phu battlefield complex features 45 relic sites, of which eight have been put into operation to serve tourists.

In the future, the province will encourage various economic sectors to invest in tourism, while supporting local firms to design unique products to lure more visitors and lengthen their stay.

At the same time, the province will develop community-based tourism in remote and border areas, while working with eight other northwestern localities as well as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Laos and Thailand to boost its tourism growth.-VNA
VNA