Visitors at a resort in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province. — VNS Photo Thu Hằng

BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU — The southern coastal province of Bà Rịa- Vũng Tàu is gearing up for intensive promotions to draw tourists back as the COVID-19 pandemic comes under control in Việt Nam.

A total of 78 businesses are participating in its tourism stimulus programme, which offers discounts of 10-50 per cent on accommodation, 10-30 per cent on food and 10-20 per cent on entertainment services, Phạm Ngọc Hải, chairman of the province Tourism Association said.

The businesses are committed to the discounts and to good quality, he told a press meeting in the province in early June.

Tourism authorities would strengthen links between tourist sites in the province and neighbouring localities, diversify tourism products and promote the province’s tourism potential to attract visitors, he said.

The tourism sector has come to a standstill since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down travel, he admitted.

The number of visitors this year has plummeted by 90 per cent year-on-year, he said.

Hotel occupancy rates were only 5-10 per cent, he said.

Nguyễn Hữu Thọ, chairman of the Việt Nam Tourism Association, said Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu has become a magnet for visitors with its range of attractions like the sea, rivers, forests, and mineral water streams and the robust development of luxury seaside resorts.

The province is on track to become one of the country’s tourism hubs, with a focus on sea, MICE and cruise tourism, he added. — VNS