According to the Provincial Department of Tourism, it is estimated that in 2018, Quang Ninh welcomed 12.2 million tourists, an increase of 24% compared to 2017, of which international visitors from 150 countries and territories were 5.22 million.

Quang Ninh Tourism expects to welcome 16 million visitors and achieve revenue from 30 to 40 trillion VND by the end of 2020. An important step to achieve the above goal is the inauguration of Van Don international airport, shortening the time

The new airport is located along the Ha Long – Van Don highway, nearly 60 km long, the route shortens the driving time from Hanoi to Van Don to 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Private airport 7,700 billion VND before going into operation

When operating at full capacity, Van Don airport will connect Ha Long Bay with 35 cities, including Hong Kong, Macau and 10 other cities in mainland China.

However, journalist Mercedes Hutton commented on the South China Morning Post that these projects could put Ha Long at risk of overcrowding tourists, while a number of problems already exist in this natural wonder,

Since 2012, travel journalist Mary O’Brien has written on Traveller about the real picture in Ha Long: `Arriving at the bay, suddenly our boat was surrounded by countless cargo ships. The beaches near the harbor

In June 2018, the program `Action for green Ha Long: Towards trash-free tourism` collected 741 kg of waste on two beaches of Coc Cheo and Ang Du in one hour.

Garbage is flooded on some islands in Ha Long Bay

Former US Ambassador participated in collecting trash on Ha Long Bay in early 2017. Video: Minh Cuong.

Last summer, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) organized a consulting group led by international experts to support sustainable tourism management and environmental protection in Ha Long Bay.

According to IUCN, consultants recognize Vietnam’s efforts to treat waste from floating villages and aquaculture farms, but they call for stronger action to tackle water pollution.

IUCN said that Ha Long, like many other tourist destinations in Vietnam, has a rapidly growing number of visitors and pollution that has damaged the reputation of this natural wonder, especially in the eyes of international tourists.

The 2017 Global Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report shows that, while Vietnam’s natural and cultural attractions ranked 30th and 34th on the rankings, the environmental sustainability index ranked 129th.

The above numbers may lead to a decrease in the number of international visitors willing to pay a lot of money to Vietnam, negatively impacting people’s jobs and income.

Pham Huyen