On Monday afternoon, the Management Board of Da Nang’s Marble Mountains Tourist Area celebrated its 15^th birthday, and received the Third-class Labour Medal from the Prime Minister. 

Speaking at the event, the Head of the Management Board, Mr Le Quang Tuoi, said that over the past 15 years, the Marble Mountains have welcomed over 5.5 million visitors, and the number of tourist arrivals increased by an average of 15% every year.  The tourist area has earned a total of 65 billion VND in revenue.

During the period, 2 new tourism features have been built to attract even more visitors.  They are the Am Phu (Hell) Cave at the foot of Thuy Son (the Mountain of Water), and a rest-stop on the mountain. 

A focus has been on erasing sleazy business establishments, as well as creating a flower parterre and planting trees along the pathway to the peak of Thuy Son and the Huyen Khong, Gio Dong (Eastern Wind) and Gio Tay (Western Wind) caves.

Special attention has also been paid to clearing the pathway to Thuong Thai Peak of Thuy Son, and installing a telescope to allow visitors an overview of the city and neighbouring localities.

In 2014, the Marble Mountains are expected to welcome over 600,000 visitors both from home and abroad, and this will help to raise revenue by about 10% by the end of the year. 

A focus will be on fully tapping the potential of a tourist area on the western side of the Marble Mountains.  This area boasts an airy space, marvellous pagodas and caves, and the harmonious beauty of mountains, rivers and spacious rice fields.  In addition, the annual Quan The Am (Avalokitecvara) Festival, which is one of Viet Nam’s biggest Buddhist festivals, is held there.  This area is also home to numerous historical sites, including Ba Tho Cave, Co Dang Pagoda, Nui Chong Tunnels, and other historic and cultural relics.