'Strong' destination linkages in tourism.

QTO - One of the main concerns for Quang Tri tourism after the merger is creating sustainable links between destinations in the process of developing local tourism. This aims to create a diverse chain of tourism linkages, leveraging the advantages of each destination and maximizing the effectiveness of the connections. In this context, it requires not only strong cooperation between tourism businesses but also joint efforts from local authorities, relevant management agencies, and related organizations.

Strengthening connections, expanding opportunities.

Immediately after the merger, Vinh Ho Trading, Construction and Tourism Company Limited quickly launched tours connecting destinations in Quang Tri province. From the end of July 2025, the company organized a tour exploring the Ancient Citadel - La Vang - Khe Sanh - Hien Luong Bridge - Mooc Stream - Thien Duong Cave - Nhat Le, which was highly appreciated by tourists and who expressed a desire to return again.

According to Mr. Le Van Hai, the company's director, in fact, the company had previously implemented a "regional linkage" approach. Specifically, in designing tours/routes, the company introduced destinations that complemented each other's strengths between the former Quang Tri and Quang Binh provinces. The merger of the provinces not only changed administratively but also opened up a broader space for tourism development, and customers no longer felt hesitant about traveling to multiple provinces on a single route.

On the other hand, the company also takes advantage of the opportunity to promote destinations that combine strengths and complement each other under a common brand: Quang Tri Tourism. The company also gains more resources to develop new products. By connecting these destinations into a tour route, the company is able to create more diverse tour programs to meet the varied needs of tourists.

MICE tourism is a "land" with great potential for linking tourism destinations - Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Furthermore, thanks to the attention and development orientation of tourism from the local government, especially in the communication and promotion of the province's destinations, the Quang Tri tourism brand has become widely known, contributing to facilitating the company's implementation of destination-connecting products. Recently, the company has organized 5 destination-connecting tours for groups of businesspeople from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi , and veterans from various provinces and cities nationwide.

As for Hai Anh Booking Co., Ltd., which specializes in MICE tourism, connecting destinations within the province is one of the company's strengths when introducing its tours. Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, the company's director, shared that in addition to the unique characteristics of MICE tourism, such as team building and gala dinners, attractive, impressive, and especially diverse destinations that are not repetitive will make the tours "one of a kind" and encourage tourists to return.

Immediately after the merger, the company intensified its promotion of Quang Tri's destinations on social media platforms and experimented with innovative new products. As a result, tours combining destinations in both northern and southern Quang Tri have become increasingly popular, and are expected to boom during the upcoming April 30th and May 1st holidays.

Not only travel agencies, but many tourism businesses in Quang Tri have also boldly approached this "new territory" with numerous attractive and impressive products. These include Netin Travel with its Pa Thien-Voi Mep conquering tour and the Quang Tri DMZ tour, and Jungle Boss Co., Ltd. with its Phong Huong travelogue tour…

Sustainable solutions are needed.

Mr. Le Van Hai, Director of Vinh Ho Trading, Construction and Tourism Company Limited, shared that due to the larger geographical area, surveying, developing routes and destinations, and organizing tours require more time and costs. In addition, the recent provincial merger means that customer information is often not synchronized, addresses and some information are still outdated, and it takes more time to establish habits for tourists to choose new routes and search using new information.

In reality, although they share the same space and route, the quality of service in some areas and destinations still varies, is not synchronized, and can feel forced when combined.

The first connecting tour was organized by Vinh Ho Trading, Construction and Tourism Co., Ltd. - Photo: Provided by the company.

“Following the merger, state management agencies and tourism businesses have made efforts to promote the Quang Tri tourism brand. In the future, these efforts will need to be stronger and more decisive. This includes boosting joint promotion activities for Quang Tri as a destination. Furthermore, it is necessary to strengthen linkages between travel agencies, tourist destinations, and service providers such as accommodation, transportation, and food establishments to form a complete service chain. When all parties participate in building products and sharing benefits, the connection will be stronger and more sustainable,” Mr. Le Van Hai emphasized.

Dr. Tran Tu Luc emphasized that Quang Tri needs to develop cross-provincial tourism products and routes to increase connectivity; and at the same time, promote the central role of businesses in organizing the tourism value chain. Notably, after the merger, the formation of a unified tourism brand is a crucial factor in enhancing the destination's recognition in the market. Therefore, it is necessary to build a common tourism brand for the new Quang Tri province; and strengthen the coordinating role of the government during the transition period to guide tourism development according to a unified strategy.

From an expert's perspective, Dr. Tran Tu Luc, Head of the Economics-Tourism Department at Quang Binh University, emphasized: In the context of Quang Tri province, newly formed from the merger of two former provinces with a rich system of tourism resources, building sustainable linkage mechanisms between destinations is even more necessary. First, it is necessary to reorganize the tourism space along North-South and East-West linkage axes. After the merger, the new Quang Tri province possesses a very diverse system of tourism resources, stretching from mountainous areas, primeval forests, cave systems, to islands and historical relics.

However, these destinations previously belonged to two different management areas and therefore have not been connected into unified product chains. Therefore, a key solution is to reorganize the tourism space along major connecting axes, such as: a North-South coastal tourism axis connecting prominent destinations (Nhat Le-Bao Ninh-Da Nhay-Cua Tung-Cua Viet-Con Co Island) or an eco-tourism-cave axis connecting the cave and ecological system of Phong Nha-Ke Bang with ecological areas, natural forests, and community tourism in the southern part of the province…

Furthermore, developing intra-provincial tourism clusters based on the unique advantages of each region plays a crucial role. From a tourism economics perspective, the formation of tourism clusters is an important solution to create momentum for development and enhance connectivity between destinations.

In the newly established Quang Tri province, several distinct tourism clusters could be formed, such as: the northern cave-ecological tourism cluster centered around the Phong Nha-Ke Bang area; the historical-cultural tourism cluster associated with historical sites such as the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel, Hien Luong Bridge-Ben Hai River, and Vinh Moc Tunnels; and the coastal and island tourism cluster in the eastern coastal area. Each tourism cluster needs a service center and a system of surrounding satellite points to distribute tourists rationally and increase the economic value of the entire region.

Mai Nhan

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/du-lich/202604/ben-chat-lien-ket-diem-den-trong-du-lich-82a27f1/