21.28 million visitors and about 57,000 billion VND in tourism revenue in 2025 are large enough numbers to affirm Quang Ninh's position on the Vietnam tourism map.
But a strong destination is not only because many people come, but because it makes tourists stay longer, spend more and want to return.
This is what is noteworthy in the 10 groups of solutions proposed by the Quang Ninh Tourism Association.
That is to change the way tourism is done, from exploiting available resources to designing experiences, from selling attractions to selling value, from increasing the number of rooms to increasing service quality.
Quang Ninh is not short of resources, the problem is whether those resources have been transformed into products that can retain and make customers spend heavily or not.
Not only Ha Long, Yen Tu, Van Don, Co To, but Hoanh Bo, Binh Lieu, Ba Che, Tien Yen, Mong Cai must also be attractive destinations for tourists.
Each place must have a strong enough reason for tourists to stay.
With Ha Long, it could be yachts, overnight stays, cuisine, sea sports, art and high-class experiences.
A ship should not just be a means of transporting passengers from point A to point B. It must be a product with its own story, service, cuisine, music, art and experience.
Customers pay for a memorable journey, not just for a seat.
Similarly, accommodation cannot continue to think about "how many more rooms to build", the important thing is how much value each room creates for the local economy.
Therefore, the direction "less but refined, high-class and different" has clear economic significance.
Quang Ninh also needs a revolution in the night economy. A beautiful destination but after 10 pm almost "turned off", it is very difficult to extend the length of stay and increase spending.
Pedestrian streets, cuisine, art performances, shopping, bay shows, international events... must become a quality operating ecosystem, not just a few similar night markets.
Another very noteworthy proposal is destination management using data and AI.
Knowing where customers come from, how long they stay, where they go, how they spend, and what they complain about will help businesses design products more accurately and help authorities manage the customer flow more effectively.
The problem for the next period is not only to attract tourists to Quang Ninh, but also to make each tourist create more value.
Tourism is not a contest to count visitors, the most important measure is still the value that a destination creates for tourists, businesses and the community.
