Attending the forum, on the central government side were Mr. Ho An Phong - Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, along with leaders from several departments of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Information and Communications , etc.
Representing Gia Lai province were Mr. Chau Ngoc Tuan - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Lich - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; and leaders of various departments, agencies, and local governments in the province.
The forum was also attended by leaders from departments and agencies of provinces and cities, including: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Quang Ngai, and Quang Binh.
Along with experts and speakers: Vu The Binh - President of the Vietnam Tourism Association; Dao Xuan Hoach - Deputy Director of the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Thien - former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics; Dr. Tran Du Lich - former Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Economics…
Gia Lai possesses all the potential for tourism development.
In his opening remarks at the forum, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Chau Ngoc Tuan informed: Gia Lai province was recently formed on the basis of merging Gia Lai and Binh Dinh provinces, with an area of over 21,500 km², a population of approximately 3.5 million people, and is located in a strategic position connecting the Central Highlands with the South Central Coast.
The province boasts a rich tourism ecosystem encompassing beaches, mountains, plateaus, and cultural heritage sites, notably: Bien Ho Lake, Chu Dang Ya Volcano, Kon Ka Kinh National Park, the Central Highlands Gong Culture Space, the Cham Pa relic system, Bai Choi art, Binh Dinh traditional martial arts, and 134 km of coastline with many famous scenic spots.
With its many potentials and advantages, Gia Lai identifies tourism as one of the five pillars of economic development; orienting tourism development until 2030 towards sustainability, professionalism, and a distinct identity. Taking culture, nature, and people as the foundation; using digital transformation and regional linkages as driving forces; ensuring harmony between tourism economic development and environmental conservation, preserving cultural identity, and improving the lives of the people.
At the panel discussion "Tourism - A Driving Force for Gia Lai's Economic and Social Development," speakers focused on clarifying the role and contribution of tourism to the local economic structure in the new context. Many opinions suggested that, after the merger, Gia Lai possesses a diverse development space encompassing both forests and seas, opening up opportunities to create integrated and distinctive tourism products.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietravel Tourism Joint Stock Company, shared: From the perspective of a travel business, Gia Lai's tourism resources lie not only in the number of destinations, but also in the ability to connect multiple layers of resources within a single journey. Gia Lai simultaneously possesses highland, forest and mountain ecological spaces, coastal areas, a cool climate, and experiential terrain; its landscape is suitable for leisure tourism, exploration, road tourism, and inter-regional tourism.
The key point is that these resources do not exist in isolation, but are highly complementary. A tourist can experience forests, highlands, indigenous culture, and the sea all in one trip. This is a very rare advantage in the current structure of Vietnam's tourism products.
Dr. Tran Du Lich, former Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Economics, affirmed: “The connection between the vast forests and the blue sea will create a rare tourism product advantage, harmoniously combining nature and ecology with a rich cultural heritage. Particularly noteworthy are the cultural space of gong music, the art of Bài Chòi (a traditional Vietnamese folk game), the land of martial arts and literature, along with the heroic spirit of Quang Trung, Tay Son Thuong Dao, and Tay Son Ha Dao… When these values are brought together and effectively promoted, they will become the driving force for Gia Lai tourism to break through.”
Suggestions for a breakthrough in Gia Lai tourism.
The seminar "Gia Lai Tourism - Collaboration, Breakthrough to Reach New Heights" focused on analyzing the "bottlenecks" hindering the development of the local tourism industry. Specifically, transportation infrastructure, especially air travel; the quality of tourism products; nighttime services; and regional connectivity were identified as issues that need to be addressed promptly.
Opinions also suggested promoting the development of distinctive tourism products, especially night tourism, in order to extend the length of stay and increase spending by tourists. In addition, strengthening linkages between localities and creating conditions for businesses to participate more deeply in the inter-regional tourism value chain were considered key solutions.
Mr. Vo Anh Tai - Deputy General Director of Saigontourist Group - shared: the core advantage of Gia Lai after the merger is the rare combination of Quy Nhon beach, the vast Central Highlands, indigenous culture and Binh Dinh traditional martial arts, from which a distinctive product structure at the national level can be formed.
Based on this, the proposed model is built on the principle of "3 axes - 2 clusters - 1 nighttime ecosystem". The three product axes serve as the foundation: the Quy Nhon coastal axis, a dynamic nighttime economic center, focusing on culinary, entertainment, performance, and lighting activities, playing a key role in stimulating nighttime spending; the Pleiku and Central Highlands mountain axis, a space for in-depth experiences with local cultural products, healing, and nature, helping to extend the length of stay; and the cultural-heritage axis, acting as a link, creating identity through Binh Dinh martial arts, gong music, and characteristic festivals.
Two key development clusters need to be formed: the Quy Nhon cluster, positioned as the "city that never sleeps by the sea," featuring nightlife, shows, bars, night markets, and festivals; and the Pleiku cluster, positioned as the "night in the mountains," with campfires, gong music, retreats, and healing tourism.
"The entire system operates within a unified ecosystem, connecting day tours (beach - forest), night tours (experiences - spending), and accommodation systems (hotels, resorts, homestays), thereby increasing the average length of stay from 2 days to 3-4 days," suggested the Deputy General Director of Saigon Tourism Corporation.
To help Gia Lai tourism achieve a breakthrough, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietravel Tourism Joint Stock Company, believes that Gia Lai needs a consistent message across its entire product portfolio. From Vietravel's perspective, the province's greatest advantage is its unique landscape, stretching "from the vast forests to the blue sea." This provides an excellent foundation for developing destination and product brands.
Mr. Ky stated: "The most important thing is that Gia Lai needs to move from 'having resources' to 'having distinctive products that can be sold, operated, and grown.' Therefore, to achieve a breakthrough, Gia Lai not only needs more events or more destinations, but also needs to: clearly identify its unique advantages; develop distinctive products; sell them in the market; and manage them using data."
Another important aspect is attracting strategic investors and developing large-scale tourism projects to boost the entire industry. Experts believe that Gia Lai needs attractive mechanisms and improved investment environments to attract high-quality capital.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong stated that Gia Lai needs a clear strategic direction, creating unique destinations and development spaces. Each region must have its own core product, avoiding duplication and dispersion of resources. Along with that, it is necessary to strengthen transportation connectivity, upgrade accommodation facilities, apply digital technology, and build a smart tourism ecosystem to enhance the visitor experience...
Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Chau Ngoc Tuan affirmed: “Gia Lai province is committed to continuing to improve the investment environment, accompanying businesses, and creating the most favorable conditions for investors, organizations, and individuals to research, cooperate, and develop tourism in the locality. We believe that, with the attention of the Central Government, the cooperation of localities, businesses, and experts, Gia Lai tourism will experience strong development in the coming time,” - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Chau Ngoc Tuan emphasized.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/dinh-vi-du-lich-gia-lai-de-but-pha-post583397.html
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