Ha Long tourism and determination to overcome difficulties

More than 10 days after super typhoon Yagi made landfall in Quang Ninh, the lives of people in the area where the storm swept through have gradually returned to normal... Promoting the spirit of "Discipline and Unity", a self-reliant, self-reliant, and courageous Quang Ninh has been doing its best, uniting, and working together to overcome the consequences caused by the storm, quickly stabilizing life, continuing production and business, and striving to complete the socio-economic development tasks in 2024. One of the pioneering sectors is tourism.

According to the report of the Department of Tourism, most of the accommodation establishments on the shore in Ha Long City area suffered damage related to broken glass, broken roof tiles of villas, collapsed roofs, damaged ceilings, damaged furniture in the rooms, reception areas, restaurants, bars, auxiliary areas, etc. The electrical, air conditioning, and water systems of many establishments were severely damaged. The damage was concentrated in all types of accommodation establishments from 4-5 star luxury to small-scale establishments and motels. The heaviest damage was in Ha Long City, then Van Don, Cam Pha, and Co To.

Despite being heavily affected by storm No. 3, Ha Long City has 39 4-5 star hotels with 8,572 rooms, of which 5,196 rooms are ready to welcome guests (accounting for 60% of the total number of rooms). The tourist accommodation block from 1-3 stars and meeting standards is still ready to welcome guests with about 580 hotels with 8,540 rooms . In localities such as Mong Cai, Hai Ha, Uong Bi, 100% of accommodation facilities are available; Co To has 30% of accommodation facilities with 60% of the total number of rooms in the district ready to welcome guests.

Since September 13, Ha Long Bay has reopened to visitors, and by the afternoon of September 14, 2024, it had welcomed more than 6,000 visitors.

Regarding tourist areas and spots, 11/12 districts, towns and cities have recognized areas that are ready to welcome visitors again. Some key tourist spots in Ha Long City such as: Quang Ninh Museum, Planning Palace, Provincial Fair and Exhibition, Sunworld entertainment area, Tuan Chau Tourist Area... suffered heavy damage to facilities and are being repaired to welcome visitors soon. Tourist areas in Mong Cai, Yen Tu, Dong Trieu, although affected, have promptly cleaned up, consolidated and are ready to welcome visitors.

According to the Department of Transport, storm No. 3 caused 27 tourist boats and 4 cargo ships to sink (23 tourist boats sank at Tuan Chau port, 2 boats in Ha Long Bay, 2 tourist boats sank in the Ba Lan area). After the storm dissipated, businesses quickly began to restore nearly 90% of the total number of boats ready for operation. The Department of Transport has directed the Inland Waterways Port Authority to issue orders from the morning of September 13, 2024 for visitors and guests staying in Ha Long Bay on some overnight itineraries.

According to preliminary statistics, most hotels, service providers, cruise ships, ports, and infrastructure serving tourists in localities with tourism activities have been affected to varying degrees, with some businesses suffering losses of hundreds of billions of VND.

Along with Quang Ninh province and many other localities across the country, the tourism industry in Quang Ninh has joined hands to overcome the consequences, overcome difficulties, and be ready to welcome tourists back. As soon as the storm passed, Quang Ninh tourism affirmed that it is still a safe, friendly, and attractive destination for domestic and international tourists. On September 13, 2024, Ha Long Pearl Joint Stock Company welcomed the first groups of visitors to return to visit and experience pearl farming in Ha Long. It is estimated that more than 10 groups of visitors, equivalent to more than 200 European visitors, visited and shopped at My Ngoc store of Ha Long Pearl Joint Stock Company in Ha Khau ward (Ha Long city).

Despite the many difficulties caused by the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, with the province's determination, tourism will still be one of the growth pillars of Quang Ninh. Quang Ninh is determined to maintain the scenario of welcoming 19 million tourists in 2024, including 3.5 million international visitors. Quang Ninh province strives to achieve a growth rate of over 10% in 2024, continuing 10 consecutive years of double-digit annual growth.