'Science discovery tours will be a new tourism product'

Binh Dinh The scientific space complex in Quy Nhon attracts many people to experience, helping the locality have another unique and potential tourism product.

Director of Binh Dinh Province Department of Tourism Tran Van Thanh spoke with VnExpress about the contribution of the smokeless economic sector to the local budget and plans to develop new tourism products.

Mr. Tran Van Thanh, Director of Binh Dinh Department of Tourism at a tourism promotion conference. Photo: Toan Thang

- Why does the province identify tourism as a key industry?

- The province identifies tourism as a key economic sector in the 2020-2025 period because it has natural and social conditions suitable for tourism development.

Binh Dinh has many tourism resources with many destinations and scenic spots such as: Ghenh Rang - Tien Sa, Thi Nai Lagoon, Phuong Mai Peninsula, Quy Nhon beach, Quy Hoa, Hai Giang, Nhon Ly - Cat Tien, Trung Luong...

The locality has many historical and cultural relics, including three national intangible cultural heritages (Traditional martial arts, Tuong and Bai Choi). The art of Bai Choi (of Binh Dinh and 7 Central provinces) has been recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The province has 11 artifacts recognized as national treasures, Sa Huynh culture, Champa culture has preserved a rich and diverse heritage system with two special national relics, 33 national relics (including 14 Champa towers), 87 provincial relics with unique architecture and sculpture...

Along with the infrastructure for tourism development (3 national highways passing through (QL1A, QL1D, QL19), Phu Cat airport has been renovated and upgraded, the North-South railway line passing through Binh Dinh, the system of seaports such as Quy Nhon port, Nhon Hoi port ... create favorable conditions for Binh Dinh tourism industry to develop more than other provinces and cities.

In addition, Binh Dinh also has the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) and the Science Space Complex in Quy Nhon City, opening up a new, unique tourism product: science discovery tourism.

- How does tourism contribute to the local gross domestic product?

- The number of tourists coming to Binh Dinh increases every year, in 2016 it was estimated at 3.2 million, this year it is estimated at 5 million. Thanks to that, the industry's net revenue increases every year. In 2015, the net revenue of Binh Dinh tourism industry was over 1,000 billion, this year it is estimated at about 16,000 billion.

Currently, tourists to Binh Dinh mainly come from the following localities: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and the Northern provinces. There are not many international visitors to Binh Dinh.

- What has the locality done to stimulate tourism recently?

- After the pandemic, to prepare for recovery, we have stepped up promotion, organized many events, and encouraged businesses to upgrade facilities from the end of 2021 until now.

This year, the province has implemented policies, promoted promotional activities, and expanded market linkages. To improve the quality of tourist services, we have organized knowledge update courses for tour guides, trained in digital transformation in tourism activities, and opened tourism training courses (reception, room service, and table service).

"Binh Dinh Tourism Festival 2023 Quy Nhon - Sea Paradise" with many activities such as: Hot air balloon festival, big motorbike performance on sand, Open bicycle race also attracts a large number of tourists.

We also cooperate with airlines and large tourism corporations such as: Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways, Vietravel, Saigontourist, Hanoitourist to promote tourists to Binh Dinh.

- How does the province invest in infrastructure to promote tourism?

- In recent times, Binh Dinh has upgraded its socio-economic infrastructure to welcome investors. For the tourism industry alone, the province has invested in transport infrastructure at tourist clusters, roads to areas, tourist attractions and coastal routes, the new National Highway 19 and connecting routes from National Highway 1 to the coastal road, traffic infrastructure of Nhon Hoi Economic Zone; upgrading and expanding National Highway 19B from Phu Cat Airport to Quang Trung Museum.

The locality also upgraded and repaired Phu Cat Airport; renovated Dieu Tri station, seaport, inland waterway port for tourists... Restored and upgraded historical, artistic, cultural architectural works, tangible and intangible cultural heritages.

The province is developing a planning plan to resolve some of the remaining difficulties in attracting investment capital, especially from the world's hotel giants.

We build and perfect mechanisms and policies to support domestic and foreign strategic investors to invest in infrastructure projects, complex tourism service areas, large-scale tourism projects, high-quality shopping and entertainment centers. The province creates favorable conditions for people to directly participate in business and benefit from tourism.

- How does the locality combine tourism development with cultural preservation?

- Binh Dinh today was the capital of the ancient Champa kingdom for a long time during its most brilliant development period. Therefore, Champa culture left behind quite dense relics with many types and quite rich in quantity. Typical of these is the system of thousand-year-old Cham towers with unique and mysterious features, demonstrating the level of Champa architecture and art at different stages of development.

Currently, the locality has tours to visit some Cham tower relics, such as: tours to visit Twin Towers (Quy Nhon), Banh It Tower (Tuy Phuoc), Canh Tien Tower (An Nhon), Duong Long Tower (Tay Son).

The Department and Binh Dinh Tourism Association coordinate to organize and exploit various types of art and services to be held at Cham towers to serve tourists, such as: Linking tours to bring tourists to visit Cham tower relics; digitizing information on Cham tower relics; exploiting some types of services and art performances to attract domestic and foreign tourists to Cham towers...

Quy Nhon's crescent-shaped coastline. Photo: Nguyen Phan Dung Nhan

- Why does Binh Dinh have science discovery tours?

- Developing tourism services at the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) and the Science Space Complex in Quy Nhon City to create unique tourism products for the province. This is also the content of the province's action program to develop new, potential tourism products.

Quy Hoa Valley has been planned by the province to become a science city with the establishment of the ICISE Center. Here, Nobel Avenue will be formed to honor Nobel Prize-winning scientists who have visited.

ExploraScience Quy Nhon Discovery Center has 7 rooms with the following topics: exploring and learning about the universe, the Solar System, the Earth and natural resources, the laws of nature...

Since then, we have experimented with science tours. This tour is very suitable for children, pupils and students when they are introduced and conveyed scientific knowledge in a visual way.

Currently, ExploraScience Quy Nhon has built a free science experience program for groups of visitors with three contents: experiencing the galleries; participating in science shows and indoor and outdoor games.

Besides science, we want to develop two other new tourism products: sports tourism (traditional martial arts, golf tourism, cross-country running, beach volleyball)... and tourism combined with medical treatment and health care.

Visitors visit the planetarium at the Science Space Complex. Photo: ExploraScience Quy Nhon

- In your opinion, how will combining sports events such as marathons or sailing races promote tourism?

- In recent years, Binh Dinh has organized many running competitions and sports tourism activities with sports such as traditional martial arts, golf tourism, beach volleyball, including the VnExpress Marathon Quy Nhon, held annually in June every year with a scale of more than 10,000 domestic and international athletes.

Last October, the International Sailing and Stand-Up Paddleboard Race took place in Quy Nhon, attracting 116 domestic and international athletes and 11,700 domestic and international visitors. This is the first sporting event in a series of side events to promote the 2024 Binh Dinh Grand Prix International Powerboat Race, which will be held for the first time in Vietnam.

Combining sports activities as a new stream stimulates tourists' need to experience and discover new things.

- What plans does the province have to attract international visitors?

- In the action program, we want to attract tourists from Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, North America, Oceania. The province's programs will focus on countries that have been exempted from visas and have large market sizes.

Recently, the Department has gone to Korea to coordinate with the local government of Yongsan District, Seoul City to organize art exhibitions and seminars to promote and attract tourists. In addition, we have worked with the Korean Embassy in Vietnam, many Korean businesses have expressed interest and proposed direct flights to Binh Dinh. The province is realizing the Incheon - Korea flight.

We are advising the province on implementing the cooperation agreement on tourism and culinary development between Binh Dinh and the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association of Saikai city in the coming period.

Pham Linh - Bui Toan

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