At the opening ceremony.
This is the first of a series of culture and tourism events that will take place throughout the year in different localities with an aim to attract more local and foreign investors to the northwestern region.
Over 100 artists joined the opening ceremony featuring the traditional values of the region home to more than 30 ethnic groups, a range of tangible and intangible cultural heritages as well as many famous historical sites and imposing landscapes.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Politburo member and head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission Nguyen Van Binh, who is also head of the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region said Lao Cai possesses many advantages, therefore, the Politburo has issued a resolution on developing tourism into a key economic sector over the time ahead and asked local authorities to turn the province into an economic centre for the northern border area.
According to Nguyen Huu The, Deputy Chairman of the Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee, as the host of National Tourism Year, Lao Cai has coordinated with other regional localities to prepare, with the focus on developing typical tourist products of the northwesternregion.
The region will focus on eight typical tourism products, including community-based tourism, terraced rice fields, flower seasons and mountain trekking, he added.
The region has 12 areas earmarked for development under the national strategy on tourism development in the period through 2020, including the Dong Van Karst Plateau, the Ban Gioc Falls, Mau Son Mountain, Ba Be Lake, Tan Trao, Dien Bien and Hoa Binh Reservoir.
Four national tourist attractions that feature in the strategy are Lao Cai city (Lao Cai province), Pac Po historical site (Cao Bang province), Lang Son city (Lang Son province), and Mai Chau district (Hoa Binh province).
The northwest region comprises eight provinces, namely Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Hoa Binh, Lai Chau, Son La and Phu Tho.
On the same day, the Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee also held a ceremony to receive a certificate recognising Den Thuong (Upper Temple) Festival as part of the national intangible cultural heritage.