With tourism resources considered the most diverse in the country - from world natural wonders, historical relics, islands to border corridors - Quang Tri province is facing a golden opportunity to become a national and regional destination.
However, to realize that aspiration, it requires a methodical development strategy, flexible institutions, distinctive brands and strong, creative, connected thinking.
Need special institutions - separate brand strategy
Over the past decade, Quang Binh and Quang Tri have made significant strides in tourism development. However, due to the lack of overall coordination and regional linkage mechanisms, the potential has not been fully exploited.
The merger of the two localities is an opportunity to restructure the tourism management model in a more modern, integrated and flexible direction.
Mr. Le Minh Tuan, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Tri province, said: "To make tourism a truly spearhead economic sector, it is necessary to have flexible mechanisms, preferential investment policies, multi-sector and multi-center management models, and especially development institutions specifically for key areas."
One of the proposals of tourism experts is to establish a provincial tourism development steering committee, with the participation of representatives from departments, sectors, businesses, and communities. This will be the strategic focal point, coordinating investment, monitoring product quality, promoting and building an overall brand.
Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Binh province Dang Dong Ha emphasized: “It is necessary to soon adjust the spatial development plan and tourism industry in the overall provincial planning. At the same time, build a new Quang Tri tourism brand identity system on the basis of inheriting the achievements of the two old provinces, while promoting the clear comparative advantages in terms of terrain, heritage and identity.”
Currently, in public perception, Quang Binh is often associated with majestic nature, Quang Tri is associated with deep memories. However, on the international tourism map, there is still a lack of a strong enough regional brand to create a deep and distinct impression.
Ms. Nguyen Thu Hien, a communications expert, commented: “We cannot call it Quang Binh-Quang Tri tourism. We must reposition the core identity, establish the main emotions and consistent messages. It could be Journey from Caves to Ancient Battlefields or Vivid Memory Land, but the important thing is that the brand must be consistent, professional and have depth.”
A strong brand strategy needs to include a unified identity: logo, slogan, digital map, multilingual travel app, promotional film, multi-platform communication system. At the same time, it is necessary to survey key market groups - domestic visitors (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City) and international visitors (USA, Europe, Thailand, Laos...) to design appropriate approach content.
Key Investment - Multidimensional Linkage
A brand strategy cannot be effective without proper investment. Quang Tri can only make a breakthrough when investing in key areas, clusters, and axes, avoiding spreading out.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Tan, Director of the Investment-Trade-Tourism Promotion Center of Quang Tri province, said: “We cannot spread out investment. We must divide specific development zones, each cluster has its own main tourism products and accompanying satellite services. Priority is given to places with the ability to attract visitors and high connectivity.”
According to Mr. Tan, Quang Tri tourism is facing great difficulties in connection infrastructure, lack of unique products, while destinations are not clearly positioned and human resources are still lacking and weak.
In particular, the lack of strategic investors makes the service not competitive enough. To solve this problem, we need to make a breakthrough with airports, seaports, investing in coastal resorts - adventure tourism; at the same time, we need to build the brand "Land of Peace and Rebirth", convert the number of destinations, and call for large investors. Quang Tri needs to have an innovative mindset and choose to be different to make a breakthrough.
Three key clusters are being proposed: The natural-ecological cluster (North) includes: Phong Nha-Nhat Le-My Thuy beach-Con Co island to develop discovery tourism, high-end resorts, and sea sports.
Heritage-spiritual-memory cluster (East-West axis): Quang Tri Citadel, Truong Son National Cemetery, Highway 9 National Cemetery, Hien Luong-Ben Hai Special National Relic Site, La Vang Church, Khe Sanh to develop gratitude tours, traditional and spiritual education.
Adventure-border cluster (Dakrong-Huong Hoa-Lao Bao): Forest trekking, Khe Sanh lake, cross-border caravan, village exploration, community tourism development, ethnic minority culture experience.
Mr. Le Luu Dung, General Director of Jungle Boss Limited Liability Company - an adventure tourism operator - suggested: "The provincial government needs to boldly open a mechanism to test new products such as Zipline, skywalking, cliff climbing, high-altitude camping... to attract and retain tourists. At the same time, create a transparent legal corridor for businesses to be creative within the legal framework."
Ms. Nguyen Le Hang, Director of Thien Ha Tourism Company, commented: “Modern tourism is an experience industry. Infrastructure is not only roads, but also support services, access facilities, and interactive technology. Currently, human resources are the biggest bottleneck in Quang Tri.”
In fact, human resources for tourism are still lacking and weak, especially lacking tour guides with cultural-historical knowledge, specialized tour guiding skills, foreign language and technological abilities.
Quang Tri province needs to coordinate with specialized training schools to organize training courses for heritage guides, live commentary, trekking tour guides, and tourism event organizers. At the same time, encourage people to do community tourism, develop homestays, OCOP products, cuisine, and traditional craft villages.
Mr. Dang Dong Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Binh province, said that in order for Quang Tri tourism to develop sustainably, it is necessary to complete the infrastructure system connecting regions-clusters-destinations; build a tourism resource database; and implement synchronous digital transformation to serve management, promotion and advertising.
“We are building a smart tourism ecosystem: digital maps, big data platforms, industry information management systems, and integration between state agencies, businesses, and tourists,” said Mr. Ha.
In addition, for tourism to develop in the long term, it is necessary to improve the effectiveness of state management, strengthen human resource training by location, specialized orientation and retrain digital skills and communication skills for human resources in the industry.
Quang Tri province's leaders have recently identified tourism as one of the three main pillars of economic development in the coming period.
The locality is currently rushing to complete the Master Plan for tourism development until 2040, with the vision of building the new Quang Tri into a leading historical-ecological-island tourism center in the Central region.
The strategic focus is to attract large-scale investment in tourism projects from domestic and foreign corporations; to build a new, distinct and unique Quang Tri destination brand associated with green-clean-sustainable values.
Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Tri province Le Minh Tuan affirmed: “We are not looking for a new Quang Tri on paper, but a Quang Tri with a breakthrough mindset - established by integrated and creative thinking. Tourism will be the pioneering field, awakening the potential and opening up the aspirations of this land rich in memories and values”./.
Lesson 1: Integrating history and nature - the foundation for tourism development
Lesson 2: Connecting heritage - creating an inter-regional tourism map
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/kien-tao-quang-tri-thanh-diem-den-tam-co-quoc-gia-va-khu-vuc-post1047317.vnp
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