HÀ NỘI — The beauty of the country’s northwest region will be featured in the National Tourism Year 2017.

Dubbed “Northwest Colours”, the 2017 tourism year will be hosted by the northern mountainous Lào Cai Province in co-ordination with other provinces in the region, which are Yên Bái, Phú Thọ, Hòa Bình, Sơn La, besides Lai Châu, Điện Biên and Hà Giang.

Hà Văn Thắng, director of the department of culture, sports and tourism in Lào Cai, said as the host of National Tourism Year, the province would co-ordinate with other regional localities and focus on developing tourist products in the northwest.

He said there will be 42 events during National Tourism Year 2017 with 22 cultural, sports and tourism events, eight tourism promotion activities and four international co-operation events.

The opening ceremony of National Tourism Year 2017 is scheduled to be held in February 2017.

Meanwhile, a cultural, sports and tourism festival of the northwest ethnic groups will launch a series of activities in October this year.

Among them are community tours to ethnic groups in the northwest; tours to terraced rice fields and markets on the mountains; cruises along Hồng (Red) River to pagodas and temples in Lào Cai, Yên Bái and Phú Thọ provinces; and cruises along Đà River through Hòa Bình, Sơn La, Điện Biên and Lai Châu.

The northwest region is home to more than 30 ethnic groups, with diverse tangible and intangible cultural heritage, famous historical sites and spectacular landscapes.

The region received 8.9 million tourists, including 1.6 million foreigners last year, the culture, sports and tourism ministry said.

The region has 12 areas earmarked for development under the national strategy for tourism development in the period through 2020, such as the Đồng Văn Karst Plateau, Bản Giốc Falls, Mẫu Sơn Mountain and Ba Bể Lake, besides the Tân Trào Revolutionary Base, Điện Biên and Hòa Bình Reservoir.— VNS