“Contest of Transformation” - Creative Tourism Promotion

In recent years, the province’s tourism industry has been growing strongly, not only in terms of the number of tourists but also in terms of service quality. One of the effective promotional strategies being applied is “contestization”. This strategy not only creates a widespread media effect but also arouses the pride and creativity of the local community.

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The 2024 Art Photography Contest with the theme "Beautiful photos of Yen Bai tourism" attracted 12,500 visits to learn more and submit works directly to the website: anhdepdulichyenbai.com, with 527 works by 87 authors from 19 provinces and cities nationwide submitting entries. Yen Bai and Hanoi are the two localities with the largest number of authors and entries.

These are impressive numbers of a competition whose tourism promotion value is higher than any other award. The works submitted for the award are all of high artistic quality with rich themes, exploiting the majestic natural landscapes and cultural beauty of ethnic minorities in the highlands, bringing new and attractive perspectives of Yen Bai tourism; creating a wide spread, contributing to promoting and introducing the province's tourist destinations to many domestic and international friends.

Also at the end of 2024, Yen Bai organized the first Outstanding Tour Guide Contest. The contest not only attracted the participation of tourism workers inside and outside the province but also attracted the attention of tourists.

Mr. Nguyen Ha Minh, Hai Phong city shared: "I was very lucky during my business trip to Yen Bai to have my colleagues take me to see the contest. Through that, I saw that the ethnic minority culture in Yen Bai is very rich and there are many attractive destinations that we do not know. Surely, we will go there according to this guide".

In recent times, destinations in Yen Bai province have continuously organized and hosted large-scale competitions, diverse in form and content. From beautiful photo contests, tourism video clips, to cross-terrain marathons, the "Flying over the Golden Season" paragliding festival, or literary and artistic composition competitions about Yen Bai..., each event carries a unique message, contributing to portraying a colorful picture of Yen Bai tourism.

The contests are not only a playground but also a great opportunity to promote tourism in a natural and effective way. Through the entries, visitors can discover new and unique perspectives on Yen Bai; at the same time, spread the love of homeland and country to the public.

One of the biggest successes of the "contestization" strategy is creating a strong viral effect on social networks and media. Thousands of photos, video clips, and articles about Yen Bai were shared and commented on, creating a real "fever". Many tourist destinations that were previously little known have now become attractive destinations on the tourist map.

Typically, the "Beautiful photos of Yen Bai tourism" photo contest has attracted hundreds of professional and amateur photographers to participate. The winning photos are not only displayed at exhibitions but also widely used in tourism promotion publications, on websites, social networks, etc., contributing to introducing the beauty of Yen Bai to domestic and international friends.

Or the Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail cross-country marathon has attracted thousands of domestic and international athletes. This event not only promotes the image of Yen Bai as an attractive destination for adventure sports tourism but also brings in a significant source of revenue for the locality.

Participating in the race, Ms. Thu Tuyen, Cau Giay district, Hanoi city shared: "It was wonderful! The feeling of running among the terraced fields gave me a special feeling that I did not have in all the previous races I participated in. My pictures of Mu Cang Chai at the race were shared a lot by my friends and relatives."

The "contestization" strategy does not only stop at promoting images and attracting tourists, but also aims at the goal of developing sustainable tourism. Contests are often associated with cultural preservation activities, environmental protection, and raising community awareness of responsible tourism. For example, literary and artistic composition contests about Yen Bai often encourage works that exploit the traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities, praising the beauty of nature and people of Yen Bai. This contributes to preserving and promoting cultural values, while creating unique and attractive tourism products.

Besides the successes, the "contest-ization" strategy also poses many challenges. That is, how to ensure the professionalism, fairness, and transparency of the competitions? How to maintain the attraction of the competitions in the long term? How to effectively transform communication into actual revenue for the tourism industry?...

To address these challenges, localities and relevant agencies have been implementing synchronous solutions such as: increasing investment in infrastructure, improving the quality of tourism services; promoting links with tourism businesses and professional social organizations; focusing on training tourism human resources; at the same time, strengthening inspection and supervision of tourism activities to ensure a safe, civilized and friendly tourism environment.

"Contestization" is a creative and effective tourism promotion strategy. However, to successfully apply this strategy, it requires thorough investment, close coordination between levels and sectors, and active participation of the community. With continuous efforts, Yen Bai is gradually affirming its position as an attractive tourist destination on the Vietnam tourism map.

Thanh Vy

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/226/350803/Cuoc-thi-hoa---sang-tao-quang-ba-du-lich.aspx