QUẢNG NINH — Việt Nam’s northern coastal province of Quảng Ninh – home to the Natural World Heritage Site of Hạ Long Bay – will work alongside Luang Prabang Province in northern Laos and Udon Thani Province in northeast Thailand to boost tourism in all three regions.

A conference on strengthening tourism co-operation and development over the next year at world heritage sites in the three provinces was held recently in Hạ Long City. More than 120 delegates, including leaders of the three localities and representatives of tourism enterprises, attended the event.

The three provinces have joined hands since 2006 to deploy a so-called World Heritage Triangle project with the aim of promoting their UNESCO-recognised heritage sites as one destination.

At the meeting, held for the third time, Vice Chairwoman of Quảng Ninh Province’s People’s Committee Vũ Thị Thu Thủy said the event aimed to review tourism co-operation progress between the three regions during the 2014-15 period, and sign action plans for the upcoming period.

She also said the conference provided an occasion for the provinces to share effective, sustainable and responsible tourism models, and create cross-border package tours to increase the flow of tourists in the heritage triangle of Hạ Long Bay, Luang Prabang and Ban Chiang in Udon Thani.

Currently, Luang Prabang and Udon Thani have airports, while the construction of Vân Đồn airport in Quảng Ninh is expected to be completed next year. Once that is finished, the air connectivity between the three localities will help tourists travel to heritage sites more conveniently.

Tourism education and training are other focuses under the new agreement, as well as the participation of tourism businesses at fairs, exhibitions, festivals, and cultural and sporting events.

Udon Thani Province will design a joint logo for the Heritage Triangle, while tourism associations and television stations of the three provinces will co-operate in joint tourism promotion activities.

Vice Governor of Luang Prabang Province Kanman Chanhthalangsy said he hoped the tourism co-operation would boost incomes and improve the lives of locals.

According to Vice Governor of Udon Thani Suchai Butsara, the signing of the tourism co-operation deal would help tap the potential of the world heritage triangle.

In 2015, the number of visitors to the three provinces increased. Quảng Ninh welcomed 7.7 million tourists, including 2.6 million international visitors. Luang Prabang saw 600,000 and 400,000 domestic and international visitors, respectively, and Udon Thani welcomed 3.2 million and 140,000 visitors.

Nearly 6 million tourists arrived in Quảng Ninh in the first six months of this year, including 1.9 million international tourists. — VNS