The allure of Co To island tourism

Besides preserving its stunning natural landscapes, Co To island district is also developing attractive tourism products and services that meet the criteria of green tourism.

Co To is developing unique, diverse, and attractive ecotourism products, such as sports tourism including jungle hiking and mountain climbing.

As a border island district in the Northeast of Vietnam, Co To district ( Quang Ninh province) possesses enchanting natural landscapes, auspicious geographical features, and a silver sea amidst mountains and hills. Leveraging its existing advantages, the locality is focusing on attracting and developing new tourism products and services, ensuring professionalism and sustainability; striving to become a high-quality eco-tourism island district and a national tourism center.

To meet the needs of tourists, this year Co To district continues to encourage businesses and enterprises to focus on investing in upgrading, repairing, and building new hotels, guesthouses, and homestays. Since the beginning of the year, the district has seen the construction of 9 new accommodation facilities and the upgrading of 50 existing ones. Currently, the district has 290 accommodation establishments with 3,000 rooms to meet the needs of tourists.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Luong (Zone 1, Co To town) said: "Besides the row of stilt houses that have been in operation for many years, my family has just completed building a villa-style house with 8 rooms, private bathrooms, and a spacious common living area... to serve guests. Furthermore, we have also renovated the entire yard, garden, and pond to meet the needs of tourists for dining, recreation, and entertainment."

Currently, Co To district is completing the upgrading and expansion of Thanh Lan port and Bac Van port; striving to soon implement the investment project to upgrade Co To port; and urging investors to accelerate the progress of renewable energy projects in the district.

Co To also proposed investing in and upgrading telecommunications infrastructure and service quality, including undergrounding telecommunications cables; promptly deploying mobile coverage throughout the district to serve tourism development; and studying the planning of Love Beach as a public beach. At the same time, it called for investment in completing transportation, electricity, and water infrastructure to meet the needs of tourists, especially during peak tourist seasons.

Unlike previous years, in preparation for the peak tourist season, the district has launched many vibrant activities right from the beginning of 2024, such as: a kayak race on the sea, the Thanh Lan commune's sea opening festival, a boat race connecting island districts, and many cultural and sports activities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Co To island district, such as a 30km record-breaking swimming race in Co To sea, an exhibition of beautiful photos of Co To...

In addition, the district is developing unique, diverse, and attractive ecotourism products, such as: sports tourism including forest hiking, mountain climbing, beach volleyball, marathon running, yoga, and meditation; beach tourism including kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving to see coral reefs and marine life, whale watching tours, sea turtle watching, and fishing experiences; and collaborating in organizing national sports competitions.

Sunset on Co To Island.

In addition, the locality is developing green tourism products and services such as accommodation facilities, services with zero plastic waste labeling, plastic-free tourism, tourism programs that combine litter cleanup; applying 360-degree virtual reality technology at the Ho Chi Minh Memorial National Special Monument; cycling tours around Co To at night; a marine sports and entertainment complex combined with sunset viewing at Love Beach; overnight camping at Thanh Lan... Notably, the district is proposing a pilot program to bring tourists to the 7-star island.

This year, the district plans to organize 44 cultural, sports, and tourism events. Notably, these activities are spread throughout all months of the year, maximizing advantages, developing potential, and creating a year-round destination.

These include: the flag-raising ceremony affirming national sovereignty over the sea and islands; street music programs; a week-long marine environmental cleanup campaign, saying no to plastic bags and plastic waste; the announcement of green tourism criteria, the affixing of green tourism logos, and the publication of a list of tourism accommodation establishments that meet the standards; and the organization of a sea swimming competition...

During the recent April 30th and May 1st holidays, Co To welcomed 19,400 visitors, a 132% increase compared to the same period in 2023. With its attractive scenery, integrated infrastructure, and diverse products, Co To continues to affirm its position as an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists, contributing to the realization of the goal of reaching over 300,000 visitors with revenue of 900 billion VND this year.

(according to Quang Ninh Newspaper)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/quang-ninh-suc-hut-du-lich-bien-dao-co-to-271089.html