In recent years, tourism activities in the province have received attention for investment and achieved many positive results. The province organized many large-scale programs, events, and activities of national and international stature. The number of tourists has continuously increased year by year.

In the 2021 - 2025 period, Điện Biên is estimated to welcome over 5.4 million visitor arrivals (an increase of 183%), with total revenue from tourism reaching over VND 9,400 billion (an increase of 198%) compared to the 2016 - 2020 period. The tourism market is increasingly expanded, tourism products are gradually diversified and improved in quality; the infrastructure system and material facilities receive investment attention. Currently, the whole province has 251 accommodation establishments with 3,306 rooms/6,443 beds; of which, there are 39 hotels, 152 guesthouses, 18 guest houses, and 42 homestays.

However, according to the assessment of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism: The scale of the provincial tourism operation remains small; although the number of tourists coming to Điện Biên increases annually, it has not met expectations; the length of stay and spending level of tourists are limited. Tourism products are not yet rich and diverse, lacking many new tourism products. Besides the defined historical - spiritual tourism products, community, ecological, agricultural, and resort tourism products are not yet distinct, and the quality is not high enough to create competitive advantages and enhance experience quality. In particular, there are not many capable and experienced enterprises investing in the tourism sector. The quantity and operational capacity of tourism enterprises and travel agencies are also limited, failing to create many new and attractive tourism products and programs. Meanwhile, some traditional cultural values of ethnic groups (folk festivals, traditional house architecture, customs, and practices) face the risk of being lost.

Currently, some provinces in the country have issued thematic resolutions on policies to support tourism product development, such as: Supporting the construction of parking lots at tourist areas and spots (Bắc Ninh, Thái Nguyên, and Lạng Sơn provinces each support VND 100 million/parking lot). Supporting the construction of public toilets (Bắc Ninh province supports VND 100 million/unit; Lạng Sơn province supports VND 100 million/unit). One-time support for landscape renovation: Planting trees, flowers, benches, creating rest stops for tourists (Cao Bằng province supports VND 30 million/spot). Or preferential credit loan policies for tourism product development: Lào Cai province supports no more than VND 500 million, with lending interest rates equal to the lending interest rates of the Loan Program for near-poor households prescribed by the Government in each period...

For Điện Biên province, the Resolution of the 15th provincial Party Congress, term 2025 - 2030, identified the goal of striving for Điện Biên to develop towards a green, smart, and sustainable economy by 2030; becoming the tourism center of the Northern Midlands and Mountains region; and making tourism a spearhead economic sector of the province. To achieve that goal, building and issuing policies to attract investment and encourage tourism development need to be paid attention to and prioritized for implementation. In particular, building policies to support tourism product development is an urgent requirement and demand in the current period.

At the regular meeting of the provincial People’s Committee in November 2025, through discussion, the provincial People’s Committee agreed to pass the content to submit to the provincial People’s Council for the issuance of a Resolution stipulating policies to support tourism product development in the province, at the 24th session of the 15th provincial People’s Council.

According to the draft regulation on policies supporting tourism product development in the province, for the infrastructure of tourist areas and spots, Điện Biên will implement support for: New construction of public toilets; construction of parking lots; landscape renovation (planting trees, flowers, purchasing tables and chairs, creating rest stops for tourists); new construction of reception houses, display, and introduction of tourism products, agricultural products, and OCOP products. The support level is VND 100 million/public toilet; VND 85 million/parking lot; a maximum of VND 50 million/tourist area or spot for landscape renovation; VND 300 million/reception, display, and product shopping house. Regarding support for community tourism development, supporting the new construction of housing works serving tourists staying at families (homestays); activities to upgrade and renovate housing works serving tourists staying at families; purchasing equipment, renovating garden landscapes, building spaces for performing folk songs, folk dances, folk music, and building toilets at homestays. In which, the maximum support level is VND 150 million/new construction work; supporting a maximum quantity of 10 works/year; VND 100 million/upgrading and renovation activity with a maximum quantity of 20 upgrading and renovation activities/year. Each village point developing community tourism is supported with no more than 5 new housing construction works...

When the Resolution of the provincial People’s Council on Issuing Regulations on policies to support tourism product development comes into implementation, it will contribute to timely support, creating the best conditions for tourism product development activities in the province; serving as a legal basis to mobilize investment resources for tourism development; and creating consensus among enterprises and people to continue exploiting and developing tourism.