Good reviews: Visitors at Thien Duong Cave, part of the Phong Nha Cave complex, which has been declared one of the best tourism sites in the world. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Ha

QUANG BINH (VNS)– Phong Nha Caves in the central province of Quang Binh's Bo Trach District have been declared one of the best tourism destinations in the world.

The director of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang Tourism Centre, Le Thanh Loi, said yesterday the site was granted the status by TripAdvisor, one of the biggest tourism promotion websites in the world.

To qualify, locations must maintain an overall rating of four or higher out of a possible five as reviewed by travellers on TripAdvisor. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews.

With a rating of 4.5, Phong Nha Caves located inside the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park came out top.

"Such an honour highlights efforts of the staff at Phong Nha-Ke Bang Tourism Centre as well as the National Park," said Loi.

"To improve tourism services, the centre completed upgrading the lighting system in June. Accordingly multi-coloured bulbs were replaced with white and light yellow.

"The advice of foreign experts has turned Phong Nha Caves into a heaven on earth."

Covering an area of 85,754ha, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was recognised as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003. — VNS