Representatives from Quang Ninh's Van Don district and Tourism Department welcome and give lucky money to visitors at Van Don airport. (Photo: VNA)

The number of arrivals was 21% higher than that of the same period last year. The province posted a tourism revenue of 2.6 trillion VND (103.7 million USD) during the holiday, a year-on-year increase of 43%.

Cultural and spiritual destinations continued to be major attractions for tourists, with visitor numbers surging 6 to 8 times compared to regular days. Notably on February 2 (the 5th day of the first lunar month), Quang Ninh welcomed 208,000 visitors, up 14% year-on-year.

Specifically, Cua Ong temple in Cam Pha city hosted nearly 15,600 visitors; Cai Bau pagoda in Van Don district about 20,000; the special national heritage site of Yen Tu in Uong Bi city nearly 24,300; the Bach Dang heritage site in Quang Yen township nearly 23,000; and the Tran Dynasty heritage site in Dong Trieu city 16,000.

Tourist spots and entertainment areas also saw a 40-50% increase in the number of visitors such as Ha Long Bay with nearly 8,000; Sun World Ha Long Park 1,500 visitors; and the Quang Ninh Museum nearly 900 visitors. International visitors entering through the Mong Cai border gate exceeded 4,200.

Notably, on January 29 or the first day of the Year of Snake 2025, Ha Long city, home to UNESCO-recognised Ha Long Bay, welcomed the 5-star cruise liner Silver Dawn, carrying nearly 600 international tourists from European and American countries.

It is anticipated that in 2025, about 60 cruise ships with nearly 90,000 visitors from countries such as the UK, France, Germany, and China will come to Quang Ninh, 1.3 times higher than that of 2024.

Quang Ninh aims to lure 20 million tourist arrivals, including 4.5 million foreigners, this year.