Opportunities for developing cultural tourism from 'The vast forest touches the blue sea'

(Chinhphu.vn) - Gia Lai today stands before a historic opportunity for tourism development. From a region rich in potential in the Central Highlands, Gia Lai has expanded its development space, forming a continuous tourism ecosystem – a seamless space – from the vast forests to the blue sea, with the synergy between natural resources, cultural depth, and market connectivity.

Gia Lai participates in tourism promotion at the Vietnam International Tourism Fair - VITM 2026. Photo: VGP

In 2026, Gia Lai has the honor of being selected to host the National Tourism Year 2026 with the theme "The Great Forest Touches the Blue Sea". This is a golden opportunity to showcase the image of a new Gia Lai, formed on the basis of close links between two regions rich in cultural identity: Binh Dinh and Gia Lai. This connection opens up a unique inter-regional development space, creating a distinct attraction for local tourism.

At the Gia Lai Tourism Promotion Conference, held within the framework of the Vietnam International Tourism Fair (VITM Hanoi 2026) from April 9th ​​to 12th, 2026 in Hanoi, Ms. Do Thi Dieu Hanh, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Gia Lai province, stated that 2026 is a particularly important milestone, opening a new phase of development for the province, linked to the implementation of major resolutions of the Central and local governments. This is the foundation for realizing development expectations in the new era, in which tourism is identified as one of the important pillars.

Immediately following the opening of the National Tourism Year 2026, Gia Lai recorded a widespread ripple effect, affirming its potential and creating important momentum for the province's tourism industry to make a strong breakthrough in the coming time. Accordingly, in the first quarter of 2026, Gia Lai welcomed 4.2 million visitors, an increase of 14% compared to the same period. Of these, international visitors reached 64,900, a dramatic increase of 72%; domestic visitors reached 4.1 million, an increase of 13.7%. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at 8,710 billion VND, an increase of 17%.

Gia Lai's appeal is affirmed by the very philosophy of connection embodied in the theme of the National Tourism Year: the harmonious interplay between nature, culture, and development space. Visiting Gia Lai, tourists can experience a unique journey from the cultural space of the Central Highlands Gong Culture – an intangible cultural heritage of humanity – to the distinctive values ​​of the coastal region.

In the National Tourism Year 2026, Gia Lai aims to welcome 15 million tourists, generating total revenue exceeding 35,000 billion VND, with the goal of making tourism a key economic sector by 2030. To achieve this goal, promotion and marketing efforts are considered crucial.

Recognizing the immense potential that needs to be accompanied by a suitable development strategy, the leaders of Gia Lai province have established a guiding philosophy: "Culture is the foundation - Nature is the strength - People are the center." According to Ms. Do Thi Dieu Hanh, Gia Lai chooses a path of sustainable development, not pursuing growth at all costs, in order to preserve and fully promote the core values ​​of the locality.

Assessing Gia Lai's potential, Mr. Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, noted that the locality is facing a favorable moment for breakthroughs, especially after being chosen to host the National Tourism Year. However, to turn this opportunity into a real growth driver, Gia Lai needs to quickly develop new tourism products and keep up with market trends.

According to Mr. Vu The Binh, cultural tourism should be identified as the core foundation, as it is the element that creates a unique identity. Gia Lai possesses a "gold mine" of culture with its gong culture, rich festival system, and diverse local life. At the same time, the trend of green tourism is becoming an essential requirement, demanding that the locality apply green criteria in its management and operations in a coordinated manner.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, believes that Gia Lai possesses a dual advantage and a diverse, multi-layered tourism space with a complete ecosystem of products including ecotourism; beach and resort tourism; cultural and heritage tourism; and community tourism. Gia Lai has unique stories and characteristics that can be developed for tourism, viewed from its history, culture, natural resources, and global tourism development trends. It's a story of green living, slow living, and emotional connection. Transforming villages, tea hills, pine forests, and coffee plantations into destinations offering "slow" experiences and profound cultural narratives is a distinct competitive advantage with long-term strategic significance.

However, Ms. Mai Hoa also pointed out some limitations that Gia Lai tourism is facing. Firstly, Gia Lai is strong in resources but weak in complete products; experiences are fragmented, lacking stories, accompanying services, and high-end products. Therefore, tourists come but don't have many things to spend money on and stay for long.

In addition, the regional connectivity infrastructure is still not convenient; although there is an airport, travel between Pleiku and Quy Nhon is not yet easy; and it has not strongly attracted businesses to participate in promotion.

On the other hand, if we don't clearly define "who we are and where we stand on the tourism map of Vietnam and the region," then media coverage will be scattered and fail to identify the province's tourism image. Furthermore, we need to shift from traditional promotional and advertising methods to market-oriented marketing.

Therefore, Ms. Mai Hoa believes that a focus should be chosen for the development of tourism in Gia Lai in the coming period, addressing three main issues. Firstly, it is necessary to concentrate on building distinctive, highly competitive tourism products, using the forest-highland-sea linkage as a foundation; each product must have a story, an experience, and clear commercialization potential. It can be said that potential only truly becomes meaningful when it is transformed into specific products, services, and tourist flows. This includes prioritizing investment in upgrading the quality of infrastructure and services.

Secondly, clearly defining the Gia Lai tourism brand in the new context. It needs to create a distinctive, memorable impression, linked to local cultural values ​​and unique experiences (this is Gia Lai's strength). There needs to be a strong shift from traditional promotion to modern, market-centric marketing; boosting digital communication, selecting target markets, and building promotional campaigns tailored to specific customer segments.

Thirdly, we need to promote in-depth and substantive tourism development linkages, not only between destinations within the province, but also with neighboring localities, regions, and international markets; these linkages must focus on specific products, tours, destinations, and value chains.

Ms. Mai Hoa stated, The Vietnam National Tourism Administration is committed to working alongside the locality in connecting internationally, promoting products, bringing Gia Lai tourism to digital platforms, and supporting human resource training.

Diep Anh

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/co-hoi-phat-trien-du-lich-van-hoa-tu-dai-ngan-cham-bien-xanh-102260410105051627.htm