Ha Long Bay tourism gradually stabilizes after storm

Nearly 2 weeks after storm No. 3, Quang Ninh tourism is gradually restoring its activities as quickly as possible, ensuring the quality of services to welcome and serve tourists. In particular, the heritage and wonder of Ha Long Bay, the province's key tourist destination, has shown positive signs of recovery.

Storm No. 3 severely damaged destinations and tourism service businesses in the whole province. In Ha Long Bay, most of the managers and operators at 13 working locations on the bay had their roofs blown off, damaged, or sunk. The Cua Van Floating Cultural Center was severely damaged; 15 preserved raft houses here were completely sunk. Port infrastructure, machinery and equipment, signs and regulations, and trees at tourist attractions on the bay were broken and damaged... The estimated damage was about 35 billion VND.

The rowing and kayaking service points of service units on Ha Long Bay including Ba Hang, Cong Do, Cua Van, Hang Luon, Vung Vieng were completely destroyed, the damage is yet to be fully estimated. The tourist fleet for sightseeing and accommodation also suffered heavy damage with 27 tourist boats and 4 cargo boats sunk. Many boats had partial damage to facilities, equipment, and machinery.

To ensure safety for sightseeing and accommodation activities on Ha Long Bay after storm No. 3, the Bay Management Board temporarily stopped receiving visitors for 2 days, September 11-12, to focus on reviewing conditions of routes and scenic spots. As soon as safety was ensured, Ha Long Bay welcomed and served tourists again from September 13. With a spirit of urgency, cleaning and repairing to the point where activities were restored immediately, the Ha Long Bay Management Board and service businesses on the bay took advantage of every minute to restore normal activities.

Cruise ships depart to take tourists to visit and stay in Ha Long Bay after the storm.

The cruise fleet has urgently started to review, maintain, and ensure conditions for facilities and safety, and restore the reception and service of tourists. Over 300 cruise ships are ready to immediately receive guests, accounting for nearly 90% of the total number of ships anchored at the two ports of Ha Long International Passenger Port and Tuan Chau International Passenger Port. Thanks to proactive measures to respond to the storm and recover immediately after the storm, the Garden Bay Cruise fleet was able to put 2 out of 4 ships into operation immediately. Mr. Le Bao Chung, Chief Executive Officer of Garden Bay Cruise, said: Right after the storm ended, with the spirit of solidarity between local authorities, businesses and ports, we mobilized all human resources, promoted internal resources to join hands to overcome the damage as quickly as possible, to soon return to welcoming and serving guests staying as well as visitors to the bay.

Leaving behind the damage and losses, the ships leaving the port carry the confidence of ship owners and crew members in the rapid recovery of tourism and the affection of international visitors for the land where the storm once passed. According to statistics in recent days, Ha Long Bay welcomes an average of 5,000-6,000 visitors per day, mainly international visitors. Coming to Ha Long Bay on the first day of opening after the storm, Ms. Claire Lonchamt, a tourist from France, shared: We had heard about storm No. 3 in Ha Long and were extremely worried. But when we arrived here, we saw that all the recovery work had been done quickly and safely. The cruise ships operating normally made us feel much more confident and secure. I will enjoy the experiences on the bay after the storm, which will certainly be unforgettable memories.

The campaign "3 days to clean Ha Long Bay" with the participation of many officials, employees, armed forces, and tourism service businesses on the bay.

In addition to safety and service quality, the environment is one of the very important factors to bring good experiences to tourists. Ensuring environmental sanitation in the bay is one of the immediate priorities. The campaign "3 days to clean Ha Long Bay" taking place from September 15-17 was organized by the Ha Long Bay Management Board, in coordination with the Provincial Military Command, the Provincial Border Guard, Quang Ninh Park Green Tree Joint Stock Company, and tourism service businesses on the bay, mobilizing the participation of hundreds of officers, employees, and soldiers from various units to simultaneously participate in collecting and transporting waste on the heritage bay. The goal is to contribute to overcoming the situation of waste causing loss of aesthetics and environmental pollution after storm No. 3. At the same time, restoring the landscape of Ha Long Bay heritage, affirming a safe and attractive destination to continue attracting domestic and international tourists.

Mr. Vu Kien Cuong, Head of Ha Long Bay Management Board, said: Due to the impact of storm No. 3, the amount of waste in Ha Long Bay is currently relatively large and complex, including broken pieces of aquaculture rafts, branches, leaves, foam buoys, household waste, and sunken ships. In the immediate future, the campaign will collect waste in the core area of Ha Long Bay Heritage, focusing on tourist itineraries, overnight stays, then all waste on the sea surface, at the foot of islands, and sandy beaches in the bay. This is also identified as a long-term regular task of Ha Long Bay Management Board.

The work to overcome the consequences of the storm may still last for many weeks. However, the strong will to overcome difficulties is what helps Ha Long Bay tourism in particular, and Quang Ninh tourism in general, quickly regain its inherent growth momentum, affirming the image of a safe, friendly, attractive destination, maintaining the brand and position of a leading tourist center in the country.

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