Halal is a system of standards associated with the requirements of Islam. The development of a suitable service ecosystem is expected to help Quang Ninh better access this promising tourist market, rather than relying solely on traditional sightseeing products.
In the first 10 months of 2026, Quang Ninh welcomed over 20.3 million tourist arrivals, an increase of 10% compared to the same period in 2025. Total tourism revenue reached approximately VND61.324 trillion (nearly $2.4 billion), an increase of about 27%. Thus, the growth rate of local tourism revenue significantly outpaced the growth rate of tourist arrivals.
The result reflects positive changes in the quality of tourism growth and indicates new requirements for promotion and advertising efforts. Attracting tourists, especially international ones, cannot stop at increasing the number of arrivals but should target markets with good spending capacity, long stays, diverse experiences, and varied service usage at the locality.
In 2026, Quang Ninh aims to welcome over 23.5 million visitors, including 6 million international tourists. To realize this goal, alongside effectively exploiting traditional markets, the province is gradually expanding its reach to potential markets such as Japan, India, Russia, Australia, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
In addition to promotion and advertising, local survey reception programs are showing positive results. In the last months of the year, the locality continuously welcomed famtrip groups from Pakistan, Japan, Indonesia, and others to Quang Ninh to survey products, assess service quality, and connect with businesses.
At the recent Indonesia 2026 Meeting, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, Vu Quang Dung, emphasized that developing tourism friendly to Muslims is part of the strategic direction of Resolution No. 26 - NQ/TW of the Politburo. That field requires high standards of service quality and, above all, understanding and respecting the culture and religious beliefs of tourists.
In recent years, Vietnam has been gradually completing the institutional foundation for the Halal industry. Following the Prime Minister's approval of the Vietnam Halal Industry Development Project until 2030 in 2023, the Government issued Resolution No. 127/2026/NĐ-CP in April 2026 on quality management and policy development for Halal products and services. The national standard for tourism services friendly to Muslims was also issued in 2024, and the National Halal Certification Center and related certification organizations have been operational.
According to the Halal tourism list published by travel and airline companies, Vietnam currently has 120 Halal restaurants, mainly concentrated in HCMh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, and Nha Trang. Specifically, Quang Ninh is the first locality in the country to sign a cooperation agreement to implement tourism standards friendly to Muslims and is also the first place to have a restaurant certified Halal.
According to Mr. Truong Manh Hung, Member of the City Party Committee, Permanent Deputy Head of the Quang Ninh Economic Zone Management Board, the city government and businesses are eager to cooperate in developing Halal tourism with Indonesian partners, focusing on four main areas. First is promoting the development of the Halal tourism ecosystem and tourism friendly to Muslims.
Second is diversifying green tourism products associated with heritage values. The experiential journeys in Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, and Yen Tu are flexibly built, ensuring harmony between heritage conservation and meeting the general needs of tourists.
Third, Quang Ninh focuses on developing, connecting, and enhancing tourism promotion efforts.
Fourth, the city wishes to cooperate in developing high-quality human resources in the Halal tourism sector, training specialized human resources in Halal tourism, ready to supply the market in the near future.
"We hope that after the Indonesia 2026 Meeting, Quang Ninh businesses will have the opportunity to discuss specific cooperation opportunities in depth," Mr. Hung said.
Additionally, Quang Ninh is considering the possibility of opening charter flights or direct flights connecting Indonesia with Van Don International Airport.
Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee, Le Van Anh, suggested that associations and travel businesses from both countries study and build new tours and routes, especially the possibility of establishing charter flights or direct flights from major economic and tourism centers of Indonesia to Van Don International Airport.
Not only does Quang Ninh have rich tourism resources, but it also possesses a relatively synchronized transportation and tourism service infrastructure, creating a foundation for developing products serving Muslim tourists.
According to the recently-released Global Muslim Travel Index 2026 (GMTI 2026) report by Mastercard and CrescentRating, amidst global economic and geopolitical fluctuations, Asia continues to play a central role in the global Muslim tourism market with nearly 128 million visitors, accounting for 20.8% of the regional market share.
With 57 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and over 2.2 billion Muslims worldwide, the Halal tourism market is both vast in scale and rich in spending potential.
This customer segment has an average spending of $800 - 1,200 per trip, with travel budgets often 20 - 30% higher than regular tourists. Therefore, Vietnam's tourism industry needs to identify this as a strategic opportunity to assert its position in the international market through quality, service ethics, and thorough preparation.
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