Son Doong Cave (Source: VNA)
Quang Binh (VNA) - The central province of Quang Binh achieved a turnover of 179 billion VND (8.1 million USD) in tourism, an increase of nearly 90 percent compared with 2014.
Well-known Son Doong Cave was the reason for the significant increase after it was broadcast on the US's ABC News channel.
It is reported that Son Doong Cave tours are full for all of 2016.
In 2015, the province received 2.86 million tourists, an increase of 3.9 percent, of which foreign visitors totalled 46,900, a growth of 8.9 percent. Turnover for restaurants and hotels was 1.9 trillion VND (86 million USD), an increase of 19 percent.
Son Doong will welcome ambassadors to Vietnam in May 2016, as a cultural diplomatic activity co-held by the Foreign Ministry, the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and the provincial authorities.
Son Doong cave, hidden in the UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, is more than 200m wide, 150m high, and approximately 9km long.
Within its caverns lie a jungle and a river, and the cave is large enough to fit a 40-storey skyscraper inside. The cave was classified as the largest cave in the world by the British Cave Research Association.
The American news website Huffingtonpost.com declared the cave as an absolute must-see. Son Doong cave was also listed among the "52 Places to Go in 2014" by The New York Times Travel.
The usual tour, operated by Oxalis Adventure Tours since early August, offers five-day and four-night service at the cost of 66 million VND (roughly 3,000 USD) per person during the January–August period.
Each tour requires a team of more than 25 porters and cooks, a tour guide, two cave experts and two park rangers.
In 2015, Son Doong welcomed over 500 visitors.-VNA
