Lai Chau Province, located in the northern region of Vietnam, is making efforts to reach a target of two million tourists, making tourism a key service sector by 2030.

The Lai Chau People’s Council officially endorsed the aforementioned goal at a meeting held on Thursday.

Lai Chau, situated approximately 430 kilometers northwest of Hanoi, is strategically focusing on tourism as a spearhead in its service industry. 

The province is placing strong emphasis on the development of trekking tourism, adventure sports, eco-tourism, and community-based tourism. 

These efforts are closely tied to the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of the local ethnic groups.

Simultaneously, the province is giving priority to the expansion of new tourism offerings, including resort tourism, healthcare tourism, prize-based entertainment, and various other products. 

The province also plans to establish five distinct and captivating tourist destinations with the potential to draw regional, national, and international visitors. 

Additionally, they aim to develop 27 other tourist areas of local significance.

These efforts seek to diversify tourism products aims to enhance the overall tourism experience, cater to a wider range of visitor preferences, and showcase the beauty and cultural richness of the province.

In a progressive approach, Lai Chau aims to captivate major tourist markets, transitioning from neighboring tourist competitors to its own enticing destinations. 

These destinations include the Sin Ho plateau, Hoang Lien pass, Tac Tinh waterfall, Pu Sam Cap and Tien Son caves, Putaleng complex, Sin Suoi Ho area, Da river eco-tourism complex, and the incorporation of Lai Chau ginseng.

The Sin Suoi Ho community tourist area in Lai Chau Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

The objective is for the province's tourist arrivals to surpass two million people by 2030.

In the first half of 2023, Lai Chau welcomed approximately 567,330 visitors, reflecting a notable increase of 41.5 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2022, according to Lai Chau Tourism, a website operated by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. 

This figure signifies the accomplishment of 69.2 percent of the 2023 target set for tourist arrivals in Lai Chau.

The total tourism revenue in January-June was estimated at VND15 trillion (US$634.5 million), marking a significant increase of 16.7 percent compared to the same period in 2022 and accounting for 63.2 percent of the revenue target set for 2023.

During Thursday’s meeting, Lai Chau also established specific economic goals to achieve by 2030, including a growth rate between nine percent and 11 percent in the gross regional domestic product (GRDP), a gross domestic product (GDP) of VND116.6 million ($4,931) per person per year, and the provincial budget exceeding VND4.5 trillion ($190.3 million).

Additionally, the province plans to mobilize investment capital of approximately VND168 trillion ($7.1 billion) for development purposes during the 2021-30 period.

Covering an expanse of 9,068.78 square kilometers with 265,165 kilometers of the northwestern border of Vietnam, Lai Chau Province is the 10th largest locality among the 63 provinces and cities nationwide. 

As of December 31, 2020, the province had an average population of 473,333 people.

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