Yen Bai - With the goal of turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector, Yen Bai province has issued mechanisms, policies and tourism development projects to turn potential into concrete results. Since then, the province has not only become a highly attractive destination but also a place where "the colors of the Northwest converge".
Diverse tourism potential "Yen Bai has more interesting, surprising and attractive things than you think", is the feeling of Mr. Cao Dai Hung, a tourism development consultant of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Vietnam after surveying and participating in experiencing tourist attractions in Yen Bai province at the end of May 2023. In addition to the pristine landscape, rich and beautiful nature, fresh and cool climate, friendly and hospitable people, Yen Bai also has humanistic tourism resources with many ranked tangible and intangible cultural heritages, notably the Thai Xoe Art which has been recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. These factors have become the endogenous strength to promote the province's tourism industry to develop in a green, unique and attractive direction. The province's main tourism products are eco-tourism, resorts in harmony with nature; experiential and discovery tourism; tourism to learn about ethnic culture ethnic minorities, traditional festivals; sightseeing tours of historical and cultural relics; sports, entertainment and recreation tourism; MICE tourism (tourism combined with conferences, seminars, exhibitions, events...). The four key tourist areas of the province are Thac Ba Lake and Chay River tourism, Yen Bai city and vicinity tourism, Western tourism and Bac Tran Yen - Van Yen tourism. Traveling to many places, Mr. Pham Van Lang and his friends in Hung Yen chose the West of Yen Bai as their destination. Fascinated by the majestic beauty of the mountains and forests, Mr. Lang was truly impressed, not only by the scenery, space, and nature, but also by this land rich in identity, worthy of his and his friends' time and long journey to experience. In 2022, despite being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Yen Bai province still reached the milestone of over 1.5 million tourist arrivals, exceeding 44.4% of the annual plan, doubling that of the same period in 2021. Of which, international visitors reached nearly 30,000, revenue reached 1,100 billion VND, exceeding 30.2% of the annual plan. In the first 5 months of 2023 alone, Yen Bai welcomed nearly 1 million visitors with revenue of nearly 725 billion VND, up 63.5% over the same period. Promoting internal resources to develop tourism Districts, towns, and cities in Yen Bai are all having their own separate ways of developing tourism products. The mountainous district of Mu Cang Chai is an example. This locality has potential and strengths in natural conditions, unique ethnic cultural values and cultural heritages that have been ranked such as the National Monument of Special Scenic Landscape of Terraced Fields, National Intangible Cultural Heritage of New Rice Celebration of the Mong People... The district has built and put into operation a number of types of tourism suitable to the terrain, climate, landscape and culture such as cultural tourism; resort tourism; adventure sports tourism; tourism combined with health care; discovery tourism; festival tourism. In which, cultural tourism is the pillar in the development of local tourism. Vice Chairman of Mu Cang Chai District People's Committee Luong Thi Xuyen said that, implementing the policy of building Mu Cang Chai into a tourist district, a "Green, unique, safe, friendly" destination, the locality determined to take nature and culture as the fundamental values, aiming to build a green, harmonious and sustainable tourism. In the mountainous district of Tram Tau, from the advantage of natural landscapes with Ta Chi Nhu and Ta Xua peaks 2,875m above sea level, the district has formed adventure and discovery tourism products that create novelty and impression for visitors. Mr. Vu Le Chung Anh, Chairman of Tram Tau District People's Committee said that the district's general goal is to develop green, harmonious, unique, sustainable tourism and become an important economic sector of the district; build high-quality, diverse tourism products to contribute to building Tram Tau as a "safe, friendly, unique, attractive, impressive destination". Specifically, by 2025, Tram Tau will focus on developing tourism service industries, attracting economic sectors to participate in investing in developing tourism infrastructure, travel, transportation, accommodation, food and beverage, entertainment services... to meet the needs of tourists in key tourist areas; striving to welcome over 120,000 visitors, including 20,000 international visitors, with an average growth of 9.4%/year. Other localities in the province are also making great efforts to improve the quality of typical tourism products. With the potential of unique cultural nuances of 12 ethnic groups, along with advantages in nature, culture and geographical location, districts and towns focus on developing many types of tourism to attract tourists... Efforts to create a difference and sustainability 
To Day Flower is a "specialty" of the Northwest mountains and Mu Cang Chai, always attracting tourists and captivating people every time Tet comes and spring comes.
According to Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Yen Bai province Le Thi Thanh Binh, the province has gradually built a system of distinct tourism products to create attraction, especially for eco-tourism, rural tourism and experiential tourism products. Promotion and advertising activities to introduce strengths, potentials and attract investment in developing local tourism have also been stepped up. The province cooperates with travel and tourism businesses to renew existing products and create new and attractive tourism products suitable to market needs, in order to link and connect tourism activities between Yen Bai and provinces and cities across the country, especially coastal provinces and dynamic urban areas. This is considered a factor to ensure "demand" for the Yen Bai tourism product system, thereby creating peace of mind for investors when investing in developing the tourism product system in the province. By the end of 2022, the province has 21 projects in the field of tourism and services with a total investment capital of over 13,171 billion VND and 3.2 million USD. These projects are carefully considered by the province on the basis of being consistent with the socio-economic development orientation of the locality and related planning, ensuring the goal of green and sustainable development. Yen Bai also actively participates in large-scale cultural, sports, tourism and trade events in provinces and cities across the country; solemnly organizes major cultural, tourism and festival events to promote and enhance the value of tourism products. Through this activity, it has created a spread across the country, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists to know about Yen Bai. In 2023, the province sets a goal of one event per week, each district strives to build and maintain a key cultural - tourism product to build the brand, position and identify the tourism products of each locality as well as Yen Bai province. The province strives to welcome over 1,500,000 visitors by 2025, including 400,000 international visitors, with an average growth of 14.6% per year; Revenue from tourism reached about 1,500 billion VND, with an average growth of 26%/year, accounting for about 7% of the total production value of the service sector... To achieve the above goal, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vu Thi Hien Hanh said that Yen Bai always determines to "turn heritage into assets" to serve the economic and social development of the locality. The province focuses on building new, unique, and attractive tourism products that are unique to Yen Bai, creating competitive advantages. The province guides, encourages, and creates all conditions for businesses to do business in tourism services; strengthens training, prioritizes the development of professional tourism human resources, promotes propaganda, widely promotes the potential, strengths, and attractive destinations of the province. Yen Bai also creates a favorable environment, fair competition to attract strategic investors to implement large-scale, breakthrough projects to develop the province's 4 tourism regions; promotes and improves the quality of tourism activities. Cooperate, link, promote and advertise tourism with localities, key tourism markets and connect with countries that have established relations with the province to develop products. In addition, the province focuses on building a culture and tourism civilization, encouraging each citizen to take responsibility to join hands in building a civilized, friendly and sustainable tourism environment.
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