Central Highlands provinces connect to boost tourism

The provinces of Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum have joined hands to develop infrastructure and design various kinds of tours to popularise regional culture to serve the 2014 national tourism year, themed “Central Highlands, Great Jungle”.
Promotion campaigns have been organised to introduce tours to areas and villages of ethnic minority people in the region.
Such sites as Da Lat in Lam Dong and Don village in Dak Lak have received due attention and become popular destinations for both domestic and foreign visitors.
Last year, the region welcomed five million tourists from home and abroad, earning 8.134 trillion VND (387.3 million USD).
However, there are still shortcomings that need to be addressed to make full use of the region’s tourism potential.
Currently, travel agents only pay attention to developing eco-tourism and tours attached to culture, neglecting trekking due to the high investment needed, thus diverse tours are lacking.
Furthermore, the erosion of the space of “Gong” culture, which was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, and forest destruction pose challenges for the provinces.
The Central Highlands has been recognised as a land of mysterious mountains and forests with a significant population of ethnic minorities whose varied customs and lifestyles are an anthropologist's delight.
The region is also home to some of the most endangered species in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, such as the Indochinese tiger, the gaur, the wild Asian water buffalo and the Asian elephant.
The rich and unique natural beauty and cultural diversity make it an ideal site for tourism development.
The 2014 national tourism year is a good chance for the five provinces to find ways to tap the region’s tourism potential.
A series of tourism promotion activities will be held throughout the year, including a traditional brocade-weaving festival, a traditional costumes show, a national chess tournament, a traditional instruments festival, a food festival, a sport-culture festival and an international gongs festival.
Various new tours will be designed for tourists such as Jungle Tours to Madagui Forest, Dambri Waterfall, Pongour Waterfall, Tuyen Lam Lake, Langbiang Mountain; golf holidays in Da Lat; and tours following the footsteps of French biologist Alexandre Yersin who discovered the Langbiang plateau in 1893.
The Central Highlands region plans to turn tourism into an economic spearhead between now and 2030, contributing to socio-economic development, poverty reduction, social security and maintaining security and social order.
Specifically, the region sets to welcome 2.7 million domestic visitors and 450,000 foreign tourists, earning 260 million USD in 2015.