Developing green tourism from the value of sea and forest

As a land of beautiful nature and diverse culture, Lam Dong is promoting the exploitation of sea and forest spaces to build a green, creative ecosystem, connecting inter-regions and reaching out internationally.

Lam Dong focuses on building a green, creative, inter-regional connected ecosystem for the tourism industry. Photo: Le Thanh

1 journey - 3 experiences

Lam Dong is home to 49 ethnic groups, possessing rich cultural resources, with unique customs, practices, architecture, and folk festivals - an important foundation for developing experiential tourism. In addition, the province currently has 3 national treasures, 7 UNESCO-recognized heritages, 142 relics (including 3 special national relics, 57 national relics and 82 provincial relics), and 10 national intangible cultural heritages.

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Based on 6 core pillars including: repositioning regional tourism brand; green tourism and ecological management; multi-layered product and experience development; cultural and heritage conservation; digital transformation and smart management; night economy and special events are the foundation for Lam Dong to reposition its strategy and build a tourism industry value chain.

Mr. Do Mot - Strategy Director of Ong Vang Marketing Company

According to the Lam Dong Provincial Tourism Association, when combining typical cultural and tourism forms from the blue sea, mountains and plateaus, the locality has formed a unique "1 journey - 3 experiences" tourist route, taking tourists from the sea to the mountains and through the forests with completely different emotions. According to experts, to build a new Lam Dong into a green - creative - unique - inter-regional tourism area, it is necessary to first solve the existing problems of each destination, while developing sustainably and attracting both domestic and international visitors. Mr. Do Mot - Strategy Director of Ong Vang Marketing Company said that for Lam Dong tourism to develop sustainably, it is necessary to promote regional linkages and reposition in the direction of "green - creative - unique - connected". “In the context of increasingly fierce competition between destinations, if Lam Dong does not quickly reposition its strategy, it will gradually lose market share to provinces and cities such as Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai, Dak Lak - localities that are leading the trend of developing green tourism and localizing experiences,” said Mr. Do Mot.

Mr. Do Mot proposed to develop inter-regional journeys from the sea to the mountains and through the forests, connecting localities into a chain of complementary destinations, avoiding duplication, in order to increase the experience and value of visitors' stay. Therefore, the journey from the blue sea to the great forest not only enhances the tourist experience but also contributes to preserving nature, spreading indigenous culture, affirming the position of Lam Dong tourism on the domestic and international map.

Dalat with its beautiful scenery, cool climate and brilliant flowers always leaves an impression on visitors.

Each locality has a role to play in regional connectivity.

In the inter-regional linkage axis, each locality plays its own role with a clear development orientation. In particular, Mui Ne is positioned as the "capital of the blue and dynamic sea", the center of sea resorts and the starting point of the journey. Main products include: resorts, coastal villas; supporting products are sea sports (kitesurfing, windsurfing), seafood cuisine, fishing village experiences, green energy and creative cultural products.

Da Lat is a green, creative resort plateau with a mild climate, beautiful nature, and a slow pace of life. The main products are resorts, wellness, farmstays, and green tourism; supporting products include music, flower streets, street art, and cultural products based on the ethnic identity of the K'ho and Lach ethnic groups... This is a transition point, offering natural and cultural experiences, creating contrasting emotions after the sea. Particularly, the western region of the province is positioned as a great exploratory area, with global geological heritage values, with typical symbols being Ta Dung Lake - "Ha Long on the plateau" and Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark. Standing out with its wild, majestic beauty and original culture, Dak Nong is the end of the journey, offering a profound and unique experience.

Ta Dung Lake is still quite new in Lam Dong's experiential tourism tours. Photo: Le Thanh

Developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector

According to the planning of Lam Dong province for the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, tourism is identified as a key economic sector, associated with the preservation of cultural heritage of ethnic groups, natural resources, while promoting regional connectivity and international integration. The goal by 2035 is for Lam Dong to become a leading destination in Southeast Asia for high-end resort and eco-tourism, featuring pristine nature, vibrant indigenous culture and green, sustainable experiences. Mr. Nguyen Van Loc - Director of Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: "Tourism is one of the three economic pillars of the province, along with high-tech agriculture and modern industry and construction. The province will promote regional connectivity, attract investment, promote the public-private model and encourage businesses and communities to participate in developing tourism products and services".

To realize its potential and strengths, Lam Dong province aims to develop a variety of tourism types including: sea and island tourism, agricultural tourism, ecological tourism, cultural - heritage tourism, community tourism, adventure sports, cave exploration... At the same time, it will increase the attraction of capable investors to deploy large-scale, high-quality tourism complexes. The transportation system and tourism infrastructure will also be prioritized for investment and completion, creating favorable conditions for connecting to key tourist destinations inside and outside the province. "Lam Dong will prioritize the development of new tourism products, promote tour and route linkages, mobilize investment resources and increase cooperation with businesses and communities to build Lam Dong into a leading green, sustainable and attractive tourism center in the country and internationally", Mr. Nguyen Van Loc emphasized.

In the period of 2021 - 2025, Lam Dong has 4,217 accommodation establishments with 66,185 rooms, including 1,382 hotels from 1 to 5 stars (20,301 rooms). The whole province has 99 tourist and sightseeing areas, of which 30 are recognized by the Provincial People's Committee (2 national tourist areas, 4 provincial tourist areas and 24 tourist spots). It is estimated that in this period, the province will welcome nearly 78.7 million visitors, including 3.24 million international visitors. The average tourist growth rate is 24.44%/year.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/phat-trien-du-lich-xanh-tu-gia-tri-bien-rung-395484.html