Quang Nam's two world heritages host growing numbers of travelers
The central province of Quang Nam, home to
the former capital of the Champa kingdom, My
Son, and the ancient port of Hoi An (Faifo) -
two of Vietnam's World Heritage sites, has so
far this year welcomed 210,000 visitors, of
whom 170,000 were foreigners, an increase of
27.4% from the same period last year.
The rise has brought revenue of VND105 billion
($6.86 million), up 29.5% on-year and 23.53%
higher than this year's target.
Hoi An, the biggest local tourist attraction, has
recorded an 11% growth in the number of
international tourists and a 12% surge in
tourist revenues to VND8.4 billion ($549,000).
The riverside town, which still retains the feel of
centuries past, in its heyday was an important
port of call for Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese,
Japanese and other countries' trading vessels.
The provinces other major attraction, the My Son temple site, where the most important Cham intellectual
and religious center is located, has hosted 77,500 visitors, including 26,700 foreigners, up 30% from last
year's comparative period.
Besides the historic sites, the province's tourist resorts such as Suoi Tien (Fairy Brook) in Que Son district
and Bo Bo in Dien Ban district have also reported solid performances.
The impressive growth in local tourism is attributed to the province's efforts to improve tourist infrastructure
and diversify tourist products and services to lure more tourists. Five new hotels have been built and nine
others expanded, bringing the total number of hotel rooms to 1,220.
The Financial Times - December 12, 2002.
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