The World Heritage site of Hoi An (Photo: VNA) Quang Nam (VNA) – The central province of Quang Nam held a ceremony in the ancient port city of Hoi An on December 25 to welcome the 4.6 millionth foreign visitor to the province in 2019.
The lucky tourist, Paul Oldham from the UK, was presented with flowers and gifts.
The event is among activities to sum up the year 2019 of the local tourism sector, which was a successful year as the sector won many international prizes.
Nearly 7.7 million tourists visited the province, home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, in 2019, up 18 percent from last year, including 4.6 million foreigners, an increase of 21.05 percent year on year.
The top source markets of visitors to Quang Nam are the Republic of Korea, Australia, the UK, France, China, the US, Germany, Japan and Malaysia.
Last year, the World Heritage site of Hoi An was honoured by many prestigious tourism publications in the world. The CNN selected Hoi An as one of the most beautiful old towns in Southeast Asia.
The small port city also topped the list of the 15 most wonderful towns in the world.
The ancient town of Hoi An still preserves its cultural values as a busy trading port dating back 400 years.
The other World Heritage site in Quang Nam is the My Son Sanctuary, which is situated in a peaceful valley surrounded by mountains. The Sanctuary has been well preserved since it was built thousands of years ago during the prosperous development of the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries. The ruins are now a popular destination because of their cultural relevance and architectural features.
Quang Nam is also home to the Cham Islands-Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve, which covers over 33,000ha including Hoi An. It has 1,500ha of tropical forests and 6,700ha of sea featuring a wide range of fauna and flora./.
VNA
