Tourists tend to seek novelty and difference. Therefore, when coming to a locality, what tourists want is to experience tourism products that have not been available before, or if they are, the next product must be different and more attractive than the existing product.
On the occasion of the New Year of the Snake 2025, Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Trung Luong, former Deputy Director of the Institute of Tourism Research, member of the National Planning Advisory Group, shared about Phu Yen tourism with suggestions and recommendations for different tourism products from natural resources, humanity and indigenous people.
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* Sir, as someone who has been involved in Phu Yen tourism since the early days as an expert, after nearly 20 years, how do you feel about the development of Phu Yen tourism?
- More than 20 years ago, I was in Phu Yen, accompanying the first tourism workers of the province. Looking back, I see that Phu Yen tourism has made significant progress, after a short period of time, it has created a new, positive, and bright appearance.
However, from the perspective of planners, the results of this development are not as expected and do not match the potential. If compared between provinces and cities, this development is still modest, many localities with the same starting point have been left far behind.
* What is the cause of inertia that prevents Phu Yen tourism from taking off, sir?
- Phu Yen has had a tourism development orientation and a general plan from the very beginning. However, the province has not yet clearly recognized it and has not been determined to strongly implement it. It was not until recently that the Phu Yen Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, was approved by the Prime Minister, that tourism was determined to become a key economic sector. Thus, for a long time, we have lacked investment policies and support for tourism development.
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| With its unique and pristine natural resources, Phu Yen is an attractive destination for many tourists. In the photo: Beautiful view of Song Cau from above. Photo: HUYNH LE VIEN DUY |
| I think Phu Yen should enter the small but classy market segment. Here, I would like to emphasize that it is classy, not high-end, meaning even more than high-end. |
Another difficulty is that Phu Yen's tourism business system is both thin and weak, not strong enough to lead development.
Another bottleneck is the problem of connecting Phu Yen tourism with the country's major tourist centers, including transportation infrastructure, especially air routes. About 30 years ago, from Hanoi we flew by helicopter to plan Van Phong - Dai Lanh (Khanh Hoa). At that time, Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet asked me how to attract international tourists to Phu Yen. I answered Dong Tac airport, a large military airport with 3 runways, more than enough to accommodate large commercial aircraft. However, after many years, this connection is not really good, the air route through Dong Tac airport has not been identified for large-scale investment, more worthy.
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| Hon Yen (Tuy An district) is one of the attractive destinations for many tourists. Photo: NGUYEN QUANG |
* Do you have any suggestions or recommendations to help Phu Yen tourism become a developed tourism center, with unique and special products?
- Phu Yen has many unique natural resources, still has many pristine and pure features, so it is necessary to choose a suitable development direction. We do not necessarily have to chase after the number of visitors with developed tourist centers, but should find our own, more unique direction, aiming for efficiency. That means paying more attention to quality than quantity, aiming at the market segment of visitors with high spending levels. From such thinking, there will be exploration, creativity, and investment in unique and special products.
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| Tourists visit Mui Dien, the place that welcomes the first rays of sunlight on mainland Vietnam. Photo: QUYNH MAI |
The unique features of Phu Yen, in my opinion, are: Stone culture associated with the strength of sea and island tourism. In addition, Phu Yen has many beautiful bays and very private small beaches. In particular, Xuan Dai Bay has been included in the national tourism planning, which is an advantage. Vung Ro Bay is associated with the special national monument of the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea - the legendary ship No Number and the cluster of national scenic spots Bai Mon - Mui Dien, Deo Ca - Da Bia mountain, which are also very unique. We need to create a difference through cultural factors and creativity in the way of creating tourism products.
With its unique resources, through research, I think Phu Yen should enter the small but classy market segment. Here, I would like to emphasize that it is classy, not high-class, meaning more than high-class. That classy product must have requirements such as: returning to nature, protecting the clean environment, experiencing indigenous culture, respecting the privacy of tourists, even completely separating from the modern world, bringing people back to a slow life with minimalist living conditions... Respecting and promoting indigenous culture is also a factor to make a difference when building tourism products, regardless of the type of tourism product.
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| Clear blue beach at Mai Nha Islet (An Hoa Hai Commune, Tuy An District). Photo: QUYNH MAI |
Furthermore, although Phu Yen tourism developed later, the latecomer also has its own advantages, which need to be promoted.
* Thank you!
Stay ahead of the travel trend
In the post-COVID-19 world, cultural experience tourism and immersing oneself in nature in a quiet environment are becoming a trend. Tourism experts predict that eco-tourism, cultural tourism, health tourism, business tourism, and conferences will attract attention.
Nowadays, more and more tourists are choosing destinations with a commitment to protecting the environment, minimizing negative impacts from tourism and contributing to local economic development. Experiencing local culture is an important need in the purpose of the trip instead of just visiting famous tourist attractions. Furthermore, after the pandemic, health and safety have become the top concerns of tourists. Health care, yoga, spa, meditation tours... are gradually becoming popular. For busy people, traveling combined with remote work and conferences has become a popular method after the pandemic.
These trends are driven by the desire to embrace new experiences, from adventures connecting with nature, cultural exploration and wellness resorts with the key to “longevity”, Mr. Varun Grover, Country Manager of Booking.com in Vietnam, shared with the press. |
HOAI MINH (performed)
Source: https://baophuyen.vn/82/325224/tu-duy-ve-dieu-dac-trung-de-phat-trien-du-lich.html
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