Shaping the growth pole of forest

From the majestic mountains to the blue sea and white sand

The combination of the majestic beauty of the Central Highlands mountains and forests and the charm of the blue sea of the Central region used to be the dream of the regional tourism industry. Now, when Gia Lai and Binh Dinh merged into a new province, the expectation of a journey "up the forest - down the sea" through the majestic Central Highlands to the blue sea - white sand - golden sunshine of the "land of Martial Arts, sky of Literature" has come true, opening up a promising direction for tourism development.

The biodiversity and terrain in Kon Ka Kinh National Park are suitable for many types of exploration , trekking, and hiking. **Photo: HOANG NGOC**

Gia Lai Plateau possesses a diverse ecosystem and pristine beauty, an ideal destination for nature lovers and explorers. The highlight is the Kon Ha Nung Plateau World Biosphere Reserve, with two core areas being Kon Ka Kinh National Park and Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve. In particular, K50 waterfall located in the reserve was ranked 2nd by The Local Vietnam in "Top 10 most beautiful waterfalls in Vietnam" in 2022. Previously, in 2018, Daily Mail magazine - UK voted Chu Dang Ya as one of the 10 most beautiful volcanoes on the planet. In addition, there are Bien Ho, Ayun Ha Lake, Ia Ly Lake, hundred-year-old pine trees, tea hills from the French colonial period and traditional cultural villages... All blend together to create a unique ecology and cultural tourism land.

K50 Waterfall, located in the core area of Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve, was ranked 2nd in “Top 10 most beautiful waterfalls in Vietnam” by The Local Vietnam. **Photo: Discovery Gia Lai**

Meanwhile, Binh Dinh - a land of talented people, attracts tourists with its beautiful beaches, historical relics, Champa culture and the heroic Tay Son period. In particular, Quy Nhon - the capital of the province - has been twice honored as "ASEAN Clean Tourist City" with unmissable destinations, such as: Ky Co - known as "Maldives of Vietnam", with clear water and fine white sand beaches; Eo Gio - a place to watch the sunrise captivating people's hearts; Hon Kho island with its unique "road across the sea"; the Doi tower relic with an ancient Cham tower dating from the late 12th century to the early 13th century covered with moss; Ghenh Rang - Tien Sa has the Queen's beach with egg-shaped pebbles and is where the poet Han left his immortal poems...

Ky Co beach is known as the “Maldives of Vietnam” with its clear water and fine white sand. **Photo: DOAN NGOC**

The cultural identity of Gia Lai province (new) will contribute to the diversity and richness of Vietnam's cultural picture. It is the combination of the "land of martial arts, sky of literature" Binh Dinh with the quintessence of traditional martial arts, folk singing, folk bai choi, festivals, traditional craft villages; the cultural identity of the Central Highlands of Gia Lai, with the cultural heritage of gongs recognized by UNESCO as an oral masterpiece and intangible cultural heritage of humanity; communal houses with unique architecture, folk festivals of the Bana, Jrai ethnic groups. The cuisine of Gia Lai province (new) is also famous far and wide. With dishes of Binh Dinh, such as: Banh it la gai; spring rolls, bamboo rice for Huyen; spring rolls with shrimp, Quy Nhon fish noodles, rice vermicelli with pork offal..., combined with Gia Lai cuisine with dishes such as: dry pho, grilled chicken in bamboo tube rice, bitter eggplant fried noodles, dried beef with yellow ant salt, crab noodle soup...

According to Mr. Nguyen Tan Thanh, Chairman of Gia Lai Tourism Association, the construction of forest-sea tourism tours will be promoted and improved. This will be a typical product, helping to eliminate administrative boundaries that used to be barriers. Meanwhile, according to Mr. Nguyen Pham Kien Trung, Permanent Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh Tourism Association, the Association will soon take the lead in organizing famtrips, meeting with the tourism business community of Gia Lai province (new) to share information, cooperate in business, build synchronous sets of new tourism products; identify tourism brands for the new province to serve the promotion of local tourism products...

Leverage for tourism to "take off"

The “tourist route” from the forest to the sea of Gia Lai province (new) not only stops at potential but also has favorable traffic infrastructure, with National Highway 19 connecting Quy Nhon port and Le Thanh border gate; Pleiku airport and Phu Cat airport, Quy Nhon - Pleiku expressway project is being promoted for investment..., playing an important role in attracting tourists.

Mr. Ha Trong Hai, Director of Cao Nguyen Viet Joint Stock Company, said: "The province has a tourism model combining forest and sea, which will help tourists have more choices. Tours connecting the whole province will help increase the number of visitors, especially individual visitors. In Europe, tours to visit relatives are very popular. In the near future, we will also exploit this form of tourism to serve."

Mr. Hoang Phuong, Director of Le Pleiku Tourism Media Company Limited, shared: "No one organizes on-site eco-tourism tours better than tourism companies in Gia Lai, and no one understands sea tourism "to the land of martial arts" as well as the natives of Binh Dinh. When the two provinces "come together under one roof", it will promote the connection and cooperation between tourism businesses to "join hands" closely to develop together".

Sea and island tourism products attract tourists. **Photo: DOAN NGOC**

This merger opens up opportunities to build common tourism product packages, branded with the Central Highlands and “the land of martial arts, the sky of literature”. Mr. Pham Hoang Truc, Director of Gotour Travel Company, said: "For a long time, we have exploited the Quy Nhon - Pleiku inter-route tour, now we will renew and exploit more resort tourism products "up the forest, down to the sea". The tours can be designed according to themes to meet the needs of tourists".

With the same idea, Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Sen, Director of Vietravel Tourism Joint Stock Company - Binh Dinh Branch, said: "In addition to preparing to open a new branch office in Pleiku, we also design many new tourism products in the "up the forest, down to the sea" tour not only in Gia Lai province (new) but also expanding to other provinces... with many attractive product packages attached".

The merger of Binh Dinh - Gia Lai into Gia Lai province (new) will create a larger and more attractive tourism market for tourists and investors. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has a specific plan to exploit the maximum potential and advantages of tourism development; at the same time, promote tourism in accordance with the orientation of tourism development after the merger.

Ms. Do Thi Dieu Hanh, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, shared: "There is still much to do in building mechanisms, policies and unique tourism products. However, with the resonance of existing potential and carefully prepared plans, I believe that the sustainable tourism orientation in Gia Lai (new) will soon become a reality, becoming a bright spot on the tourism map of Vietnam".

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/dinh-hinh-cuc-tang-truong-du-lich-rung-bien-post330446.html