Ninh Thuận – ideal tourism destination of Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

NINH THUẬN — Located in the south central coastal area, Ninh Thuận is famous for its sprawling vineyards, diverse landscapes, pristine beaches and rich cuisine.

This place is becoming an ideal destination for tourists, especially young people who want to find a balance in life and enjoy relaxing moments in summer days.

With the goal of welcoming 3.2 million tourists in 2024 and earning VNĐ2.5 trillion (US$98 million) in tourism revenue, Ninh Thuận has cooperated with many provinces and cities to develop specific tours, programmes and routes.

Ninh Thuận has a 105km-long coastline, famous breaches such as Ninh Chữ, Bình Tiên and Cà Ná beaches, and Nam Cường and Mũi Dinh sand dunes like endless silk strips.

In addition, Vĩnh Hy Bay, which was recognised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national scenic relic site, has been assessed as one of the four most beautiful bays in Việt Nam (along with Hạ Long Bay in Quảng Ninh Province, Lan Hạ Bay in Hải Phòng City and Lăng Cô Bay in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province).

The Núi Chúa National Park, which was recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve, and the Phước Bình National Park have unique ecosystems home to hundreds of rare species of animals, plants, and sea turtles.

The wild and unique sand dunes of hundreds of hectares in Sơn Hải coastal village of Thuận Nam District has attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists to admire the sand drifting in the wind like giant silk ribbons every year.

Here, visitors can also swim in the sea, visit the lighthouse built in 1904 on the slope of a high mountain in Mũi Dinh, enjoy fresh seafood and grilled lamb. They are also served by service teams to cross the vast sand dunes, then take photos with flocks of sheep grazing on the mountain.

Ninh Thuận is also famous for different ethnic groups with diverse cultural activities such as the annual Kate Festival associated with the relatively intact Chàm Tower architecture, beautiful customs like the "farewell to the dead" ceremony, the whale worshipping festival, the boat race and the basket shaking ritual, which preserve many unique cultural features.

The province is one of the few most ideal destinations for kite surfing in the world with wind speeds of 25 nautical miles per hour. With a terrain mainly of sand dunes and high mountains stretching out to the sea, the locality is also a paradise for adventure sports experiences including racing on sand dunes, paragliding, and trekking.

Efforts to lure visitors

Ninh Thuận has been chosen as a favourite destination by international tourists, and appreciated by the domestic media and travel agencies. It boasts 212 tourist accommodation establishments with 4,686 rooms, with half of them meeting 3-star or higher standards.

To attract tourists, tourist sites, restaurants, and accommodation establishments have invested in upgrading facilities and improving service quality; devised unique and attractive packages and tours with discounts during the summer. In addition, the tourism industry and localities in the province are making efforts to renew tourism products, organising music and culinary activities at night on the walking street of Phan Rang-Thap Chàm City.

Nguyễn Văn Hòa, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, informed that in the first six months of 2024, the province expects to welcome 1.97 million visitors, increasing 15.2 per cent over the same period and reaching 61.6 per cent of this year’s plan.

Of which, international visitors are estimated at 51,000, up 155 per cent year-on-year, and equal to 51 per cent of this year’s plan. Social income from tourism activities is projected at more than VNĐ2.2 trillion.

In 2024, Ninh Thuận aims to welcome 3.2 million visitors, including 3.1 million domestic and 100,000 international tourists, with revenue reaching VNĐ2.5 trillion.

To achieve the set goal, the province is cooperating with airlines and many provinces and cities such as HCM City, Hà Nội, and central coastal, southeastern and Central Highlands provinces to build attractive tours and tourist routes.

Besides maintaining and developing traditional tourist markets in Southeast Asia, Russia, China, Australia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Ninh Thuận will promote tourism in Northeast Asian markets like the Republic of Korea, Japan, India, the Middle East and North America. — VNS