Binh Thuan (VNA) – The south central coastalprovince of Binh Thuan has focused all resources on bringing into full play itscoastal tourism potential and advantages.

The province has a coastline of 192km, with variousbeautiful landscapes such as Mui Yen, Cau isle, Ke Ga lighthouse, Ganh Son,Gieng Tien, and Hon Cau Marine Protected Area where hundreds of kinds of rarecreatures live.

In addition, Binh Thuan boasts Phu Quy island which is knownas “a pearl in the middle of the sea” and located about 56 nautical miles offthe coast of the province. The island has become an attractive destination toinvestors.

Meanwhile, Mui Ne beach, with its warm and windy climate,has served as a venue for well-known surfers from the UK, France, Russia,Germany and Australia.

Thanks to efforts to improve the management work anddiversify tourism products, the number of tourists to the locality has risenyear after year.

Sea sports like windsurfing and kite-surfing and adventuretours have helped lengthen tourists’ stay.

Last year, Binh Thuan served over 5.1 million tourists,earning 10.8 trillion VND (460.7 million USD).

In the first nine months of this year, the province welcomedmore than 4 million visitors, up 11 percent from the same period last year.

The number included approximately half a million foreigners,mostly Russian and Chinese, up 13 percent year on year, according to theprovincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The province earned about9.5 trillion VND (405.1 million USD) in revenue from tourism, up 20 percent.

Ngo Minh Chinh, Director of the provincial Department ofCulture, Sports and Tourism, said that as of September, the locality had 390valid investment projects, including 23 FDI ones, with a total capital of 59trillion VND (2.5 billion USD).

The province has 468 accommodation facilities, offering morethan 14,600 guest rooms, together with more than 300 apartments and villas.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee NguyenDuc Hoa said that tourism has contributed importantly to the province’seconomic development. Last year, the sector contributed over 7 percent of thelocality’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) and created jobs forthousands of locals, particularly those in rural and coastal areas.

The People’s Committee recently approved a plan on measuresstepping up tourism development by 2020, in which Binh Thuan strives to attract7 million tourists, with the number of foreign arrivals growing by 12-14percent a year, and the number of domestic visitors by 10-12 percent a year.

Tourism is set to contribute 10 percent of the local GRDP,and Mui Ne beach is expected to become a national tourism site, Hoa stated.

In recent years, Binh Thuan has made efforts to make tourisma key local industry. The province has added more tourism services in terms oftransportation, shopping and underwater sports to serve the increasing demandof holidaymakers.

It has also ramped up activities to promote local touristattractions and expand cooperation with other popular destinations in the southcentral coast and Mekong Delta.

Inspections have been intensified on tour operators andlodging providers to ensure they comply with related regulations while morelifeguards and fire fighters have been employed to ensure safety.

This year, the province aims to receive about 5.75 millionvisitors, including 670,000 foreign travellers, and generate 12.85 trillion VND(547.1 million USD) in tourism revenue. –VNA