(VOVworld)- Hosting the 2015 National Tourism Year, Thanh Hoa province will organize a number of activities to further promote Vietnam tourism. They include a festival of heritage, sports competitions and a culinary festival. This year, the province aims to attract up to 200,000 foreign tourists and earn about 160 million USD from tourism.

Under the theme “Connecting World Heritages”, Le Loi street in Thanh Hoa province is decked out in flower blocks featuring heritage sites, typical images of Thanh Hoa provinces and the symbols of heritage cities and provinces. Nguyen Xuan Toan is Director of the Ho Dynasty Citadel Preservation Center in Thanh Hoa province: “The 2015 National Tourism Year is held under the theme “Connecting World Heritages”. The Ho Dynasty Citadel is the key heritage connecting with others. Assigned by the Provincial People’s Committee, we are implementing an excavation project in the Citadel and improving facilities in the exhibition house to serve visitors”.

Palm conical hats are the symbol of National Tourism Year. With a message connecting world heritages, 8 conical hats are connected together to represent the 8 UNESCO World Heritage items in Vietnam. The Ho Dynasty Citadel, which is a famous site in Thanh Hoa and one of 5 world cultural heritages in Vietnam, is the focus of the symbol. Do Quang Trong is Director of the Ho Dynasty Citadel Relic Site: “The Citadel of the Ho Dynasty will be the focal point for this year. It will connect other heritages in Ninh Binh and Hanoi. A tour connecting the citadel with other relic sites in Thanh Hoa province, such as Cam Luong Sacred Fish Spring and Lam Kinh ancient citadel will be the key tour introducing that introduces the province’s tourism potential”.

National Tourism Year 2015 will be an opportunity to improve the image of Vietnam tourism, strengthen tourism links between localities, and promote world cultural heritage sites in Vietnam. During this year, there will be 10 main activities scattered throughout cities and provinces across Vietnam. Pham Dang Quyen, Deputy Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee is Deputy Head of the Organizing Board. He said the main activities would include the Opening Ceremony of 2015 National Tourism Year, a World Heritage Festival, the Le Hoan Festival, the Mai An Tiem festival, a “Chanting” festival, a Marine Tourism Festival, an International Sculpture Camp, and a Culinary Festival, as well as a Heritage Journey and the Closing Ceremony: “Activities to prepare for the Opening Ceremony are underway. It will be attended by more than 800 Vietnamese and foreign artists. We have increased publicity and prepared the necessary logistics to ensure security and food safety. Thanh Hoa is now ready for National Tourism Year”.
Located in the mountains, low-land and coastal terrains, Thanh Hoa province has great tourism potential. The province plans to develop tourism into a major economic sector. To this end, Thanh Hoa has focused on the domestic market while ensuring sustainable growth for foreign arrivals. It has also paid attention to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values and attracting investment in tourism development.