Tourist boats in Ha Long Bay (Photo:VNA) Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northern province of Quang Ninh has recently issued a temporary suspension on the building of new tourist vessels for navigating in Ha Long and Bai Tu Long Bays.
The suspension is also applied for the construction of boats aimed at replacing the wooden vessels operating in the two bays, as according to authorised agencies, current running boats have outnumbered the needs.
The province had a circular banning the building of new boats offering overnight accommodation for tourists in Ha Long Bay from March 18, 2015.
Local authorities have then suspended the construction of 119 tourist boats already getting licensed, including 93 boats of the Tuan Chau five-star Yacht Company and 24 boats of the Ha Long VIT Tourism Service Company.
The provincial People’s Committee has assigned the Department of Planning and Investment to work with the Investment Support and Promotion Board to screen the work and consult the Committee to adjust or revoke granted investment licences in the field in conformity with current regulations.
At present, around 530 tourist boats of various types are providing services in the world natural heritage site, of which 196 cater for those who stay overnight on the bay.
Ha Long Bay , which spans 1,553 square kilometres and includes 1,969 islands of various sizes, was twice recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and 2000.
Each year, Ha Long Bay receives about 3 million tourists, according to the Vietnam Administration of Tourism.-VNA
