Opening the way for high-end tourism in Cham Island.

With a solid foundation in green tourism and having recently been recognized as a nature reserve, Cu Lao Cham (Hoi An City) tourism needs to be "identified" in a higher position.

The natural ecosystem of Cu Lao Cham Island boasts high biodiversity, and research is needed to establish themed tours focusing on exploring the flora and fauna to promote ecotourism. Photo: QUOC TUAN

Waiting for big moves

In 2018-2019, the number of visitors to Cu Lao Cham increased dramatically, forcing local authorities to limit the number to 3,000 visitors per day to ensure carrying capacity.

However, over the past five years, the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with existing issues regarding routes, products, and services, has caused tourism in Cu Lao Cham to stagnate.

The number of visitors to Cu Lao Cham in 2024 is estimated at around 217,000 (an average of nearly 600 visitors per day). This has led to a decline in social income from tourism in the area.

A social survey conducted by authorities on nine popular tourism-related occupations in Cu Lao Cham, such as homestay, tour guide, souvenir sales, and tea leaf harvesting, revealed that the average monthly income of residents is only about 30-60% of what it was during its peak period.

In most planning, Cu Lao Cham is suggested to be linked with the Hoi An - My Son World Heritage axis to become a driving force for breakthrough tourism in Quang Nam.

Hoi An plans to upgrade Tan Hiep wharf (Tan Hiep island commune) to accommodate high-speed passenger ferries from Da Nang if the province approves this plan. Photo: QUOC TUAN

The provincial planning also identifies the future development of Cu Lao Cham as a national tourist area. Provincial leaders have repeatedly expressed their intention for Cu Lao Cham to become a high-end destination. To realize these goals, Cu Lao Cham needs to take more decisive steps forward.

At the end of 2024, the People's Committee of Hoi An City submitted a proposal to the province requesting approval for Phu Quoc High-Speed ​​Ferry Joint Stock Company to conduct a feasibility study for investing in a waterway transport route from the mainland to the islands: Da Nang - Cu Lao Cham (Hoi An) - Ly Son (Quang Ngai) and vice versa (with a target of not exceeding 5,000 tourists per day to Cu Lao Cham Island, including those arriving from this company's ships).

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Son, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoi An City, the government is striving to improve the transportation of tourists from the mainland to the island and the transfer of tourists between tourist attractions on the island such as Bai Lang, Bai Ong, Bai Huong, etc. Therefore, studying the possibility of opening a waterway transport route from Da Nang to Cu Lao Cham (Hoi An) and Ly Son (Quang Ngai) is very necessary.

"If the province allows 600-seat high-speed boats to transport passengers from Da Nang to Cu Lao Cham, Hoi An will also benefit greatly. The local authorities will then soon upgrade Tan Hiep wharf into a large port for anchoring ships."

"If we continue to operate the route from Cua Dai using traditional means of transport as we have been doing, coupled with unfair competition and drastic price reductions, it will greatly affect the overall interests of local tourism," Mr. Son said.

Can we create luxury tourism through ecotourism?

Following the designation of Cu Lao Cham as a nature reserve, the People's Committee of Hoi An City and the Reserve Management Board are accelerating the development of a tourism development plan, aiming to make Cu Lao Cham a green destination with high-quality ecotourism options.

This includes focusing on determining the ecosystem's carrying capacity for ecotourism development within protected areas, building several community-based ecotourism models, and implementing ecotourism tours in special-use forests…

Tourism products in Cu Lao Cham are still quite monotonous, mainly focusing on beach resorts. Photo: QUOC TUAN

It is clear that "ecology" is the core key to guiding Cham Island towards high-end tourism.

Mr. Bui Van Tuan, Director of Hi Vooc Co., Ltd. (Da Nang City), commented that tourism development linked to biodiversity conservation often follows the direction of organizing themed tours such as: snorkeling to see coral reefs, observing insects, plants, birds, and animals…

These tours have a limited number of participants, usually involve longer stays, and are quite expensive compared to more popular tours. Currently, Cu Lao Cham has successfully implemented coral reef snorkeling tours. With the high biodiversity in this conservation area, the potential for developing biodiversity-related tourism is vast.

A study conducted in the Cu Lao Cham Nature Reserve revealed that the Hon Lao area (Cu Lao Cham) alone is home to 88 species of butterflies.

Experts believe that the diversity of butterfly species on Hon Lao Island is comparable to that of some larger islands such as Con Son (Con Dao), Cat Ba, and Phu Quoc. Considering the area and scale of Hon Lao compared to the other three islands, it is clear that the butterfly diversity on Cu Lao Cham is quite high.

This is just one example of the potential for developing themed tours and educational tourism related to the flora and fauna in this conservation area.

According to Mr. Le Ngoc Thao, Head of the Secretariat of the Cu Lao Cham Nature Reserve Management Board, ecotourism is the most suitable type of tourism to meet the goal of developing livelihoods associated with conservation in the Cu Lao Cham - Hoi An Biosphere Reserve.

"Ecotourism is virtually the only type of tourism recommended for development in protected areas, where natural and human ecosystems are highly sensitive."

"There, the local community, with its indigenous cultural values, will play a key role in the cultural and historical narrative, and they must truly become the owners of the services in tourism development within the biosphere reserve," Mr. Thao said.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/mo-loi-du-lich-cao-cap-cho-cu-lao-cham-3150253.html