Typical tourism products of the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai
have drawn increasing attention from foreign travel publications, a
senior official of the provincial tourism sector has said.
Tran Huu Son, head of Lao Cai’s Department of Culture, Sports and
Tourism, cited that Australia’s travel magazine Lonely Planet has
listed Sa Pa as one of the 10 best walking sites in the world for
tourists, while Sri Lanka’s Serendib has described Bac Ha minority
cultural market as one of the 10 most attractive markets in Southeast
Asia .
Besides, US-based Travel and Leisure Magazine
has named Sa Pa’s terraced rice fields as one of seven most
magnificent examples in the world, he added.
Defining tourism as the key sector in the province’s economic
development strategy, Lao Cai has exerted efforts to actively promote
its tourism products through various events such as the Fansipan
conquering programme and Bac Ha traditional horse racing, Son said.
Besides, Lao Cai has also taken part in many international tourism
fairs to introduce its tourism information and its tourism cooperation
programmes with seven other northwestern provinces to domestic and
foreign visitors, added Son.
Nguyen Thanh Duong,
Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee emphasised the unique
identity of Lao Cai and economic potential from the tourism sector. He
underscored the necessity to maintain and develop the local cultural
identity and artisans’ skillfulness and improve the quality of tourism
facilities and services.
Lao Cai has implemented
measures to better its tourism environment to attract more visitors. In
the 2011-2013 period, the total number of tourists to the province
totalled over 3.1 million. The tourism sector helped the province earn
more than 5,600 billion VND and employs 8,150 locals.-VNA