Da Nang, Ha Long receive thousands of tourists on first day of Lunar New Year

The airport served 53 international flights with some 7,500 passengers aboard on the day.

Up to 894 domestic and international flights are expected to arrive at the airport during the seven-day holiday, beginning Feb. 8, up about 16% year-on-year.

The municipal Department of Tourism, the airport, the Da Nang International Terminal Investment and Operation JSC and air carriers jointly held a ceremony to welcome the first holidaymakers.

The same day, the central city welcomed the first international cruise ships in the lunar year with more than 1,800 passengers.

Last year, the city served 22 cruise ships with more than 18,000 passengers. The numbers are expected to reach over 45 and more than 50,000 this year, respectively.

Nearly 362,000 tourists are hoped to visit the city during the holiday, a rise of 23% from the corresponding time last year, including 172,000 international and 190,000 domestic.

The northern province of Quang Ninh, home to UNESCO-recognized Ha Long Bay, also welcomed the first group of nearly 300 visitors from the Republic of Korea (RoK) to the heritage on the day.

Pham Van Hiep, Managing Director of the Ha Long International Cruise Port, said around 2,000 international tourists visited the bay on the day.

Ha Long Bay is expected to attract some 1.4 million vacationers this year, up 25-30% from the previous year.

According to the provincial Department of Tourism, Quang Ninh province aims to lure at least 17 million arrivals in 2024, including 3 million international visitors.

The northern province of Ninh Binh, known for its Trang An Landscape Complex that was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site in 2014, has organized a range of activities to welcome the first tourists in the lunar year, striving to fulfill the yearly target of serving 7.5 million visitors, of them 900 are international ones.