Delegates at a recent conference called on Hai Phong city officials to turn the Cat Ba Island in its Cat Hai district into a green and high-class tourism destination.

At the conference, titled ‘A Green Cat Ba’ and held in Hai Phong on September 27, Nguyen Van Tuan, Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said Cat Ba has been one of the country’s most popular tourism destinations for decades but there has been little change in its services over the past 10 years.

According to Tuan, the islands need to attract strategic investors to develop unique, outstanding and striking tourism products and that only big investors will produce high-quality and appealing products to shift from seasonal tourism to year-round options.

Part of Cat Ba Island. Photo: dulichhaiphong.gov.vn

With the completion of the Hanoi – Hai Phong expressway and the Cat Bi Airport going into operation in the near future, Cat Ba is certainly capable of attracting more local and international tourists, said Tuan.

He also urged Cat Hai district and Hai Phong authorities to design tourism development strategies with an emphasis on quality and effectiveness to take advantage of infrastructure improvements.

Trinh Dang Thanh, Deputy Director of Quang Ninh’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said as a national park with peak conditions, Cat Ba’s tourism potential is much vaster than Quang Ninh’s.

Thanh recommended connecting Hai Phong – Quang Ninh tourism by encouraging travel firms to develop new joint tours and original tourism products based on advantages of the two localities.

The Cat Ba islands, home to 3,800 animal and plant species with 81 rare species in danger of extinction, were declared a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve Area in 2004. The archipelago has also been designated a national park and a marine reserve.

Source: VNA