Quang Ninh Province will stop building new wooden tourist boats and not encourage enterprises to build more boats offering overnight accommodation for tourists in Halong Bay, according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The total number of tourist boats operating in the bay has now amounted to 517, with wooden boats accounting for half and those offering the overnight accommodation service numbering over 150.

The new decision is one of the measures taken to ensure safety for tourists, and the operation of tourist boats, especially overnight ones, will also be checked, according to the department.

As of early last year, after the sinking of Truong Hai 06 boat which killed 12 tourists in Halong Bay, Quang Ninh Province has introduced new regulations to tighten the operation of tourist boats. The department has also presented a draft scheme on building new tourist boats, including the termination of new wooden boats.

The world natural heritage site of Halong Bay attracts nearly three million tourists every year. After the New Open World organization recognized the bay as one of the world’s seven new natural wonders, Halong Bay has been the popular destination of many tours to the northern region.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has set up plans to make Halong Bay a favorite destination for Vietnam’s tourism.

Source: SGT