An Giang to serve over 714,000 tourists during Tet holiday

An Giang to serve over 714,000 tourists during Tet holiday

Ba Chua Xu temple in An Giang province (Photo: VNA)

An Giang (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of An Giang is expected to welcome over 714,100 tourists during the nine-day Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, starting on February 2, up 15.18 percent year-on-year.

During the holiday, the province hopes to earn some 26 billion VND (1.1 million USD) from tourism services, according to Nguyen Khanh Hiep, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Of the holidaymakers, 712,000 are domestic tourists while more than 2,000 are foreigners. They have flocked to such destinations as Ba Nui Sam Pagoda, Chau Doc, Tra Su cajuput forest, and Gieng and Ong Ho islands.

The province has also put into service many new tourist sites like Hai Ba Trung-Nguyen Hue pedestrian street in Long Xuyen city and Sam Mountain cable car system, while offering a range of cultural activities.

An Giang served 200,000 visitors in January, up 33 percent from the previous month.

Vice Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Pham The Trieu said the number of foreign arrivals rose 20 percent month on month to 6,000.

The locality raked in some 350 billion VND (15.07 million USD) from tourism services in the month, a 75 percent jump from December, and making up of 6 percent of the amount set for the whole year.

This year, the province eyes to welcome 9.2 million visitors, expanding 8.24 percent from 2018. Revenue from tourism activities is reckoned at 5.5 trillion VND (236.8 million USD), a year-on-year surge of 14.58 percent.

In a bid to realise the set goal, the province will channel focus on mobilising capital for infrastructure development in Nui Sam national tourism site, promoting tourism linkages with localities in the vicinity like Can Tho, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, Hau Giang and Soc Trang, enhancing tourism promotion, and creating new tourism products.

As the tourism sector is envisioned to become a spearheaded economy of the locality, the province is striving for an average growth of 10 percent in tourist arrivals each year.-VNA

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