Developing and improving the quality of the tourist fleet operating in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay by 2030

On October 2, Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hanh chaired a meeting to develop a plan to improve the quality of the tourist fleet operating in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay by 2030. Attending were relevant departments, branches, localities, representatives of the Quang Ninh Tourism Association and the Ha Long Tourist Boat Association.

Meeting scene.

The plan is built with the goal of expanding the space for tourism development; effectively exploiting resources; creating more new, diverse and attractive tourism products, meeting the needs of tourists, meeting the Project on tourism development of Quang Ninh province to 2030, vision to 2050; at the same time, in line with the requirements of preserving, promoting heritage values, protecting the environment of Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay.

The specific goal is to strive for 100% of the number of cruise ships operating in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay to be newly built/replaced with steel hulls or equivalent materials by 2030.

Regarding the scale and quantity of tourist ships, high-quality tourist ships will be added, creating new products but not exceeding the total number of tourist ships according to the assessment of tourism capacity in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay for each period. The number of tourist ships added will be reviewed and announced annually on the basis of not exceeding the announced tourism capacity and in accordance with the waterway infrastructure. In Ha Long Bay, it will not exceed 520 ships (excluding discovery cruise ships). In Bai Tu Long Bay, in the period up to 2025, 100 ships will be added.

For the construction of new tourist ships, ships with a capacity of 200 passengers or more and accommodation ships with double bottoms are encouraged and standards and conditions for technical safety, environmental protection, and high service quality are improved.

Along with that, continue to review investment in ports, passenger wharves, anchorage areas, and inland waterways serving tourism. State agencies strengthen management and improve the effectiveness of tourism management, including the activities of tourist boats in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay.

At the meeting, delegates gave their opinions to clarify the content of developing the fleet in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay to be suitable to practical conditions, infrastructure conditions, the bay's capacity, and to improve the quality of tourism activities.

Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hanh requested the Department of Transport to coordinate with departments, branches, Ha Long Bay Management Board and related localities to continue to complete the plan based on the Laws, Circulars, Decrees of the Central Government, Quang Ninh Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, vision 2050. The province will also soon announce the carrying capacity of Ha Long Bay, so that on this basis, the Department of Transport can specifically calculate the capacity of the types of ships participating in tourism activities. For Bai Tu Long Bay, based on the existing inland waterway traffic infrastructure, it is agreed that by 2025, 100 additional tourist ships will be added, and the Department of Transport will be assigned to organize an assessment of the bay's carrying capacity to have a long-term development direction. The draft Plan will continue to be consulted with departments, branches, and sectors, as well as publicly posted to receive comments from tourism and travel businesses... this October before being officially issued.