Quang Binh hopes to develop tourism as a result of the discovery ofeight new caves in Phong Nha- Ke Bang National Park, Deputy Chairman ofthe provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Ky has said.
Last month the British Cave Research Association, led by HowardLimbert, found eight new caves in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, whichis home of Son Doong Cave, the largest in the world.
"Allof the newly discovered are in nearly untouched condition," said HoKhanh, a local explorer, who was part of the week-long Britishexpedition.
Four of the eight have already been named.
One of the most remarkable discoveries was the Va Cave. According toKhanh, the cave is 1.7km deep, and located only 400m away from SonDoong. Another, while not as impressive for its depth, is remarkable forits beauty.
"It's not the scale of the caves in Son Doongthat is most impressive, but their beauty. I've seen caves all over theworld and these are extremely unique," Limbert told Vietnam Newsthrough an email.
The seven other caves raised the number of newly-found caves to 15 this year.
It is the hope of local authorities that the newly-discovered caveswill help in their development of tourism in Quang BinhProvince . There is an expectation that there will be newdiscoveries in the near future.
"We hope that these andfuture discoveries will attract tourists. This will needinvestment, which we hope to get from private enterprises as well astour companies who have a stake in developing new destinations. Thiswill also offer new opportunities for locals," said Ky.
The province plans to continue promotion of known caves in tandem with that of newly-discovered ones.
"National Tourism Month will be this June. We will organise newtrekking tours that will help visitors to discover more of the 1,500mof Phong Nha Cave ," Ky added.
"One of the issueswe face now is to promote this type of tourism while protecting theenvironment. The most important thing in this regard is to raiseawareness of locals and visitors," he added.
According toDang Dong Ha, deputy director in charge of tourism of the PhongNha-Ke Bang National Park , it could take time for the park todevelop an effective and sustainable tourism strategy. In the meantime,she said, eco-tours will be allowed from the end of this month.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has commonly been called the"kingdom of caves". Since the 1920s, the area has been known for itscave systems.
It currently holds a number of worldrecords, including "largest cave system" and "the area with the highestnumber of underground rivers".
Son Doong has long beenrecognised as the biggest cave in the world, according to NationalGeographic Magazine, which gave it a full spread in late 2010.
In May 2011, the provincial People's Committee organised a cave festival at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. -VNA
Last month the British Cave Research Association, led by HowardLimbert, found eight new caves in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, whichis home of Son Doong Cave, the largest in the world.
"Allof the newly discovered are in nearly untouched condition," said HoKhanh, a local explorer, who was part of the week-long Britishexpedition.
Four of the eight have already been named.
One of the most remarkable discoveries was the Va Cave. According toKhanh, the cave is 1.7km deep, and located only 400m away from SonDoong. Another, while not as impressive for its depth, is remarkable forits beauty.
"It's not the scale of the caves in Son Doongthat is most impressive, but their beauty. I've seen caves all over theworld and these are extremely unique," Limbert told Vietnam Newsthrough an email.
The seven other caves raised the number of newly-found caves to 15 this year.
It is the hope of local authorities that the newly-discovered caveswill help in their development of tourism in Quang BinhProvince . There is an expectation that there will be newdiscoveries in the near future.
"We hope that these andfuture discoveries will attract tourists. This will needinvestment, which we hope to get from private enterprises as well astour companies who have a stake in developing new destinations. Thiswill also offer new opportunities for locals," said Ky.
The province plans to continue promotion of known caves in tandem with that of newly-discovered ones.
"National Tourism Month will be this June. We will organise newtrekking tours that will help visitors to discover more of the 1,500mof Phong Nha Cave ," Ky added.
"One of the issueswe face now is to promote this type of tourism while protecting theenvironment. The most important thing in this regard is to raiseawareness of locals and visitors," he added.
According toDang Dong Ha, deputy director in charge of tourism of the PhongNha-Ke Bang National Park , it could take time for the park todevelop an effective and sustainable tourism strategy. In the meantime,she said, eco-tours will be allowed from the end of this month.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has commonly been called the"kingdom of caves". Since the 1920s, the area has been known for itscave systems.
It currently holds a number of worldrecords, including "largest cave system" and "the area with the highestnumber of underground rivers".
Son Doong has long beenrecognised as the biggest cave in the world, according to NationalGeographic Magazine, which gave it a full spread in late 2010.
In May 2011, the provincial People's Committee organised a cave festival at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. -VNA
