Thanks to these efforts, the tourism picture of Điện Biên in the early days of the year appears vivid, which opens new growth prospects for the “smoke-free industry” of the province.

Development practice shows that the first months of the year always play a pivotal role in determining market trends. The fact that localities within the province concentrated resources for early events, such as the Countdown 2026 art program, the Mường Lay swallow-tail boat racing festival, and the Mường Phăng cherry blossom festival, has contributed to forming a chain of leading products. This creates a spillover effect on destination media while activating domestic and international tourism demand right from the early stages of the year. This proactive and methodical approach clearly demonstrates the mindset of using events as “leverage” and taking experience as the center to gradually form a diverse and deep tourism product ecosystem.

A noteworthy point is that this year's festival activities are organized in an integrated direction that links local culture with experiential sports and modern entertainment. This approach allows for the expansion of market segments to reach groups of young and adventurous tourists, which gradually shifts from pure sightseeing to experiential, event-based, and sports tourism. This is the main trend of the current tourism market, where added value is created from the depth of experience rather than just relying on available resources.

Right at the moment of the New Year transition on the evening of December 31, at the Mường Thanh walking street in Điện Biên Phủ ward, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated the organization of the Countdown 2026 art program. It brought a colorful, vibrant, and emotional cultural and artistic space during the transition between the old and new year. The program content was elaborately constructed by flexibly combining traditional and modern elements to vividly recreate the natural beauty and typical cultural values of the ethnic groups in Điện Biên province while expressing the innovative lifestyle and development aspirations of the locality. The performances were arranged in a logical sequence with emotions gradually rising to create a clear artistic point as the New Year approached.

During the countdown moment to welcome the new year, thousands of residents, tourists, and delegates joined in the joy and shared aspirations for a peaceful, happy, and successful new year. The program concluded with bustling melodies and a brilliant firework display that left deep impressions and complete emotions for the people and tourists while opening the series of tourism and festival activities for 2026 in the province.

Also among the major events opening the new year, the 11th Swallow-tail Boat Racing Festival of Mường Lay ward was organized with the theme “Returning to the Đà River.” This year's festival followed an integrated direction that harmoniously connected traditional sports, modern sports, and tourism experience activities. The swallow-tail boat racing competition continued to hold the central role, which attracted the participation of boat teams and large crowds of residents and tourists. On that foundation, many water sports and entertainment activities such as kayaking, jet skiing, and paragliding were organized to create a vibrant atmosphere suitable for the trend of experiential and controlled adventure tourism.

A meaningful highlight in the series of activities was the event to establish the Vietnam record for the “Solidarity Dance by the Đà River,” which featured a community connection performance with the largest number of participants in the country. Additionally, for the first time, the festival organized the “Green Mường Lay” cycling race to conquer the Gió Pass. This event gradually diversifies the product portfolio and opens a development direction for sports and experiential tourism associated with environmental protection and a green lifestyle.

During the festival period, Mường Lay ward welcomed approximately 40,000 visitors. Trần Thị Thảo Phương, a tourist from Hà Nội, shared that she was very excited and interested in the vibrant festival atmosphere and was particularly impressed with the paragliding and jet skiing performances on the water. She noted that the tourism products of Mường Lay are invested in methodically and have increasing appeal, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the locality in linking traditional festivals with tourism development.

Beyond organizing events, Điện Biên has performed well and early in the work of destination communication and promotion. The proactive coordination with relevant units to organize the ceremony to welcome the first flight of the year combined with promotional activities at the “aerial gateway” shows the determination to improve the destination image professionally and synchronously. This is a key factor in the context of increasing competition between localities, as the initial impression of tourists can decide the entire journey of experience.

It is estimated that in January 2026, Điện Biên welcomed 160,000 tourists, which is an increase of 27.3% over the same period last year. The total revenue from tourists reached VND 290 billion, representing an increase of 34.2%. These figures reflect the positive recovery of the market while affirming the role of the early year event series as an important “push” that creates momentum for the business community and the entire tourism industry.

According to Trần Hải Hà, who serves as the Acting Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this is a positive signal that creates trust and new momentum for the entire society. The core of this progress is the tourism business community in the province, which is determined to realize the goals of Resolution 12 of the provincial Party Committee on tourism development to bring rapid and breakthrough growth.

Analyzing the reasons for this prosperity, Trần Hải Hà stated that specialized agencies and localities proactively implemented early communication to promote destinations, tourism products, and large-scale cultural events. They also linked tourism activities with a series of festivals such as the 9th Three-Country Con Throwing Festival of Vietnam, Laos, and China along with the Mường Lay Swallow-tail Boat Racing Festival and the Mường Phăng Cherry Blossom Festival. This approach helps improve the recognition level of the destination brand and stimulates tourism demand during the traditional low season.

It can be affirmed that creating a development impulse right from the early days of the year is significant in starting the tourism season and reflects the political determination of the province to make tourism a new growth driver. With a sustainable development orientation that takes the tourist experience as the center, the community as the subject, and cultural identity as the foundation, Điện Biên tourism is gradually establishing its position on the national tourism map and opening prospects for a breakthrough in 2026 and the following years.