The central coastal province of Quang Binh held an event in Hanoi onApril 23 to promote its tourism products and seek ways to tap itstourism potential.

Boasting a long coastlineriddled with beaches, historic and spiritual sites and a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site—the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park—Quang Binh hasplentiful opportunities to develop tourism into one of its economicpillars, according to delegates attending the event.

According to Nguyen Quoc Hung, Deputy Director General of theVietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the Phong Nha –Ke Bang National Park with its world-famous caves could be as popular asHa Long Bay with adequate investment.

Hung saidthe province should design various tours suitable for groups from allover the world from the European Union to East Asian countries.

Tran Tien Dung, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee,said that the province has created a number of tours, withoutoverlapping, at cave systems around the province, as well as seasideeco-tourism and spiritual tours to Vung Chua – Dao Yen, General VoNguyen Giap’s final resting place.

One of QuangBinh’s weaknesses, according to Dung, is the lack of accommodation dueto a limited number of hotels and guesthouses.

The province is also developing homestay and farmstay tourism to helptourists experience the province’s scenic nature, hospitable people andtribal culture.

In 2014, Quang Binh welcomed 2.7million visitors, up nearly 100 percent, 60 percent of which wereinternational tourists, a 26 percent increase.-VNA