Kien Giang (VNA) – The MekongDelta province of Kien Giang earned more than 2.2 trillion VND (around 97million USD) from tourism services in the first half of 2017, up 20 percent againstthe same period last year.

Among over 3 million visitors to KienGiang during the January-June period, almost 208,400 are foreigners,representing a year-on-year increase of 22.5 percent.

Phu Quoc island attracted the largestnumber of holiday-makers with 988,000, of whom nearly 198,900 are internationaltourists, up 77 percent over the corresponding time last year.

Other destinations like U Minh ThuongNational Park, Ha Tien and Hon Dat towns, and Hon Tre, Lai Son, An Son, Nam Du,Hai Tac and Hon Nghe islets also lured crowds of vacationers.

Tran Chi Dung, Director of theprovincial Tourism Department, attributed the increase to better quality oftourism services, more diverse tourism products, intensified tourism promotionactivities and tightened travel management.

He added that since the beginning ofthis year, Kien Giang has attracted ten tourism projects worth over 4.95trillion VND (217.8 million). The province is now home to 286 tourism projects witha combined capital of 332.6 trillion VND (14.65 billion USD).

Of the number, Phu Quoc island aloneaccommodates 233 projects valued at nearly 323.87 trillion VND (14.26 billionUSD), the official said.

The province has created the bestpossible conditions for the implementation of licensed projects, Dung noted.

KienGiang boasts a diverse mangrove ecological system and great potential foragro-forestry-fishery and tourism development. Last year, the local economyexpanded by 6.57 percent, higher than the country’s average of 6.21 percent.

Theprovince has set a target of collecting over 8.8 trillion VND (384.2 millionUSD) for the State budget and serving 5.82 million tourists, including 360,000foreigners this year.-VNA