Turning Dong Van Stone Plateau into a National Tourism Center

As a mountainous province, the northernmost border of the country, Ha Giang has an extremely important strategic position in terms of economy, society, national defense, security and tourism development. In recent years, the socio-economic development of Ha Giang province has made comprehensive steps, creating conditions for Ha Giang tourism to have a clear change.

On October 29 and 30, continuing the tourism survey program of 8 expanded Northwestern provinces, the Famtrip delegation with more than 80 members, most of whom are members from domestic travel and tourism companies, surveyed tourist destinations in Ha Giang such as: Quan Ba, Meo Vac, Yen Minh... On the morning of October 31, in Quan Ba, the People's Committee of Ha Giang province coordinated with the Vietnam Tourism Association and the EU Project to organize the Workshop "Responsible tourism development to turn the rocky plateau into a national tourism center".

According to Mr. Vu The Binh, Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Association, over the past 10 years, Ha Giang has become an attractive tourist destination in Vietnam, especially since 2010, when the Dong Van stone plateau was recognized by UNESCO as a global geopark.

Ha Giang's tourism growth rate is among the highest in the country, with the number of visitors increasing by an average of 20 to 40%. The tourism industry has received deep attention from provincial leaders.

However, Ha Giang tourism is still in the early stages of development, so there are still many limitations and shortcomings. Tourism products are not diverse and rich; accommodation facilities, hotels, and restaurants are still lacking, not meeting the needs of visitors (currently there are no 3-star hotels); service quality in accommodation facilities, hotels, and restaurants is not high and not professional; tourism promotion and advertising are still limited, most of the images of Ha Giang tourism are conveyed to visitors through domestic travel agencies.

With the advantage of being recognized by UNESCO as a global geopark along with many attractive tourist attractions, Dong Van stone plateau has many opportunities to develop tourism if effective solutions are implemented in the future.

Pho Cao Market is rich in culture.

At the workshop, delegates contributed their ideas with the desire to promote sustainable tourism development in Dong Van Stone Plateau. According to Mr. Phung Quang Thang, Hanoi Tourism Corporation, geological tourism is a suitable type of tourism for Dong Van Stone Plateau. To promote the heritage values ​​on the stone plateau, the effectiveness of tourism activities and geological tourism depends entirely on 4 units: Scientists, local authorities, destination management agencies and local businesses or private individuals.

Mr. Cao Duc Chung, Deputy Director of Vidotour Hanoi Branch, said that the villages in the rocky plateau have the potential to develop community tourism with the condition of surveying and selecting households that meet the standards to operate homestays in the area, training in welcoming international tourists, cleaning rooms, cooking, explaining places, leading tourists on tours, etc.

According to Mr. Tran The Dung, Ho Chi Minh City Young Generation Tourism Company, in recent years, many Southern tourists have visited Dong Van Stone Plateau, although the travel distance is far and the cost is 3-4 times higher than that of Northern tourists. However, tourists to Dong Van Stone Plateau often only gather on weekends, causing restaurants and hotels to be overloaded. To develop tourism in the future, Dong Van Stone Plateau needs to invest in building infrastructure; increase the professionalism of service staff at restaurants and hotels; diversify tourism products, etc.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tho, Phuong Hoang Trading and Tourism Company Limited, said that it is necessary to develop a tourism promotion center and update information for travel and tourism companies.

Obviously, with the available tourism potential, if invested and developed in the right direction, Dong Van stone plateau will become a center attracting domestic and international tourists to explore in the future.

According to QĐND