QUẢNG NINH Hạ Long city in the northern province of Quảng Ninh, home to UNESCO-recognised Hạ Long Bay, will organise two festivals to lure more tourists on the occasion of the National Holiday (September 2), a local official said on August 20.

The Yacht, Parachuting, and Water Sports Festival scheduled to begin on August 24, and the Hot Air Balloon Festival, to take place on September 1-2, are expected to help raise tourism development and introduce attractive destinations in Hạ Long, according to Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee Nguyễn Ngọc Sơn.

They are among the 31 festivals and events within the project “Hạ Long – City of Festivals”, these first-time events have won the support of many businesses, the official noted.

Quảng Ninh has adjusted its target in attracting visitors to 19 million this year from the initial 17 million after its tourism posted positive growth in the first seven months.

In the first seven months of this year, the province received 13 million visitors, 20 per cent higher than that of the same period last year. It earned total tourism revenue of about VNĐ29 trillion (US$1.16 billion), an increase of 40 per cent over the same period in 2023. Of the visitors to the locality, there were over 2.2 million foreign guests, equivalent to the number of tourists in all of 2023. VNA/VNS