Ly Son has the opportunity to "take off"

Quang Ngai province expects Ly Son airport to become a driving force for this special economic zone to affirm its core role in all three pillars of economy, tourism, and defense - security.

Ly Son Special Zone, Quang Ngai Province has long been known as a " tourist paradise" in the middle of the East Sea. Possessing a million-year-old volcanic landscape, a rich marine ecosystem, and a long history and culture associated with the Hoang Sa archipelago and the Bac Hai archipelago, Ly Son is both an attractive tourist destination and has strategic significance in terms of national defense and security.

New "boost" for special economic zones

Ly Son is 15 nautical miles from the mainland. Tourists to Ly Son mainly travel by speedboat from Sa Ky port, taking more than 1 hour. Although not too far, this journey depends a lot on the weather. During the windy season, rough seas, boats often have to stop operating, causing the number of visitors to decrease significantly. Access to the mainland for islanders is also hindered. This is considered one of the biggest "bottlenecks" limiting the island's tourism development potential.

In that context, the Ly Son airport project - part of the transport infrastructure planning of Quang Ngai and the central coastal region - is attracting special attention.

Recently, after a working session with the Standing Committee of Quang Ngai Provincial Party Committee on February 9, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh agreed in principle to add and update Ly Son airport to the Master Plan for the national airport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050.

Tourists coming to Ly Son by waterway are often interrupted during the rainy and stormy season.

In the previous submission to the Government, the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province proposed to build a 4C-class civil and military dual-use airport in Ly Son, with a capacity of 3 - 3.5 million passengers/year. In order to concretize the goal of achieving class V urban standards in 2025 and class III in 2040, Ly Son Special Zone has set the goal of including the Ly Son airport project in the list of national special projects, prioritizing investment in two phases 2026 - 2030 and 2031 - 2035.

Quang Ngai province expects Ly Son airport to become a driving force for this special economic zone to affirm its core role in all three pillars of economy, tourism, and defense and security.

For the tourism industry, the appearance of the airport is a new "boost". Currently, international visitors who want to go to Ly Son often have to fly to Da Nang or Chu Lai, then travel by road for about 2-3 hours before going to Sa Ky port to continue by boat. This process takes a lot of time, easily reducing the island's appeal compared to destinations with more convenient infrastructure. On the contrary, if it is possible to fly directly or quickly connect, Ly Son will become closer and more accessible than ever.

It can be said that aviation infrastructure will help Ly Son tourism transform from a small-scale exploitation phase, based on personal exploration, to a systematic, large-scale development phase, aiming at the international market.

Need to build a unique identity

However, having an airport is only a necessary condition. For tourism in Ly Son to truly "take off", many other issues need to be resolved at the same time.

First of all, the service infrastructure. Currently, the island mainly has motels, mid-range hotels, and some homestays serving young tourists, but there are no high-end resorts. Therefore, planning and calling for investment in high-quality accommodation facilities is very necessary.

In addition, the transportation, electricity, water, and waste treatment systems also need to be invested in synchronously. The rapid increase in the number of tourists but the environmental infrastructure cannot keep up will lead to overload, causing pollution, negatively affecting the island's very sensitive ecosystem. Lessons from many other coastal tourist destinations show that if sustainable development is not focused, short-term benefits can be exchanged for long-term damage.

Another key factor is human resources. Ly Son people mainly live on fishing and garlic growing, and have little experience in the professional service and tourism sector. Therefore, it is necessary to soon implement training programs on foreign languages, service skills, and tourism management for the people, and at the same time encourage them to participate in developing community tourism.

In addition, to differentiate itself, Ly Son needs to build a tourism brand based on the unique values ​​of volcanic geology, Hoang Sa culture, and typical garlic agricultural products. These are "private assets" that no other place can copy. If exploited properly and effectively promoted, Ly Son can completely become a "second Phu Quoc" of the Central region but with its own unique color.

On a broader perspective, the development of Ly Son airport also contributes to improving social security. People on the island will have more convenient access to medical services, education, and employment. Emergency cases can be quickly transported to major hospitals by air.

The airport on the outpost island will also support patrolling and controlling the airspace and sea, enhancing the ability to respond quickly in emergency situations. This is a strategic factor, closely linking economic and tourism development with the task of protecting the sovereignty of the Fatherland's sea and islands.

Expected to become a center of sea and island tourism

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tri, Secretary of the Party Committee of Ly Son Special Zone, acknowledged that service tourism is gradually asserting its role as the leading economic sector of Ly Son. "Ly Son has a 1/2,000 planning scheme, currently the proportion of tourism accounts for 50% of the total production value of the island. In the coming time, Ly Son Special Zone will focus on synchronous solutions to soon turn Ly Son into a center of sea and island tourism in the spirit of Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW of the Politburo... I believe that with the airport, the proportion of service tourism in Ly Son will increase rapidly, people's lives will become more prosperous, and Ly Son will develop more and more" - Mr. Tri expressed.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ly-son-truoc-co-hoi-cat-canh-196250920193131357.htm