Central Highlands Lam Dong province and southern An Giang province have
seen a surge in the number of visitors over the past month.

Lam Dong, home to the famous resort city of Da Lat , attracted
385,700 tourists in February, a year on year increase of 35.4 percent,
including 33,800 foreign visitors. The result is attributable to the
long Lunar New Year holiday that coincided with the season of cherry
blossoms in Da Lat. The tourism industry’s revenues for the month
totalled 383 billion VND, up 56 percent.

January
included, the province served 730,700 visitors, including 54,100 foreign
visitors, a year-on-year increase of 13.2 percent. Tourism revenues for
the two-month period reached 698 billion VND, a 38 percent increase
from the same period last year.

With several major
events planned for this year in Da Lat, Lam Dong’s tourism industry
expects a good year in 2013. Da Lat will celebrate its 120 th
founding anniversary and host a Flower Festival as well as the launch of
the National Tourism Year of Tay Nguyen – Lam Dong 2014.

Meanwhile, An Giang province, home to several religious sites popular
among pilgrims, welcomed 735,822 visitors in February only, a 4.37 fold
increase from January’s figure, earning 24.5 billion VND.

The south-western border province of An Giang greets five
million local and foreign visitors each year. Many are local pilgrims
who come to pray for good luck and fortune at pagodas and temples in the
sacred Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) area with the highest Buddha statue of
the country and Nui Sam National Heritage Complex.-VNA