What are the solutions for developing sports tourism in Nghe An?

Bringing a new experience

Currently, sports tourism is considered one of the strategies to enhance the image of a destination, thereby creating differentiation for tourism products. The strength of sports tourism lies in its lack of limitations and its target market catering to all demographics. Therefore, this type of tourism not only offers new experiences for tourists but also increases brand recognition for the local tourism industry.

Recently,"Ky Son Win Vietnam Mountain" MarathonThe "Returning to the Mountainous Region - Conquering Puxailaileng Peak, the Roof of the Truong Son Mountain Range" Marathon, with over 800 athletes from many provinces and cities across the country participating, has taken on the characteristics of a modern sports tourism product. Although it was the first time it was organized, according to the tourism community's assessment, the event was quite successful and contributed to promoting tourism in the westernmost district of Nghe An province in particular, and Nghe An in general, during the Spring of the Year of the Dragon 2024.

The marathon race only took place in one session, but before that, the organizers created many connections for participating tourists through various unique cultural and artistic activities. Throughout the event, not only information about the race, but also information about the cultural beauty, land, people, and OCOP products of Ky Son district was widely shared on mass media and social networks. Many musical, cultural, artistic activities, culinary experiences, and characteristic products created a great attraction for everyone.

Previously, in August 2023, a large-scale provincial marathon, the "Returning to the Land of Folk Songs and Melodies" Marathon, also became a notable sporting and tourism event in the province, with the participation of over 4,000 domestic and international athletes and nearly 3,000 family members of the athletes who came to cheer them on.

Recognizing that the event will open a new direction in the development of sports tourism, the Department of Tourism has requested that tourist accommodation establishments in Vinh City and Cua Lo Town offer preferential rates for accommodation services to athletes and their companions participating in the event; ensuring facilities, service quality, security, safety, and food hygiene for athletes and tourists. The Department of Tourism also directed travel agencies to cooperate in introducing and promoting tourism programs in Nghe An and organizing tours to explore and experience tourist destinations in the province when athletes and tourists have a need.

Bui Ngoc Duc, an athlete from Hanoi, shared: “Despite the challenging conditions, the organizers have made great efforts to prepare the best possible conditions for the athletes to participate in the competition. I am confident that the number of athletes will increase in future marathons held in Nghe An.”

Also in 2023, several sports tournaments linked to tourism took place in the province, such as the 2nd Cua Lo Open Cycling Race for the Sea Daisy Cup, attracting nearly 400 athletes from 31 cycling clubs from various provinces and cities; and the "Les Foulées de la Soie" running program held in Con Cuong district, organized by the Sports Development Organization (SDPO), which brought together 70 French athletes…

Enhance coordination and develop distinctive products.

It can be affirmed that sports tourism is a "fertile ground" that is being actively exploited to stimulate tourism demand and promote sustainable economic development. However, despite the organization of several sports tournaments linked to tourism, sports tourism products in Nghe An are only in their nascent stages and have not yet fully realized their potential.

Sports tourism comprises two types: tourism combined with watching sports competitions and tourism with the purpose of participating in sports activities. In Nghe An, tourism combined with watching sports competitions is still very limited. For example, in 2023, Nghe An hosted two national tournaments: the National Stick Pushing and Tug-of-War Championship in Cua Lo town and the National Sepak Takraw Championship in Vinh city, but the attraction of both tournaments to tourists was not as high as expected, with very few tourists from other provinces coming to watch and cheer.

To develop sports tourism, Nghe An must become a major sports center, attracting national, regional, and international sporting events; Nghe An's high-performance sports must have a worthy position on the national sports map. However, in Nghe An, meeting these conditions still requires a considerable amount of time.

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Mr. Nguyen Huu Phuong - Head of Sports Management Department (Nghe An Department of Culture and Sports).

In the field of sports tourism, services remain inadequate and have not received sufficient attention from relevant sectors and localities. For example, with its 100 km coastline and many famous beautiful beaches such as Cua Lo, Dien Thanh, Quynh Bang, Bai Lu, etc., and with 40% of its population concentrated in coastal areas, Nghe An has great potential for developing sports activities linked to beach tourism.

However, to date, the tourism and culture-sports sectors have not developed any specific direction for linking these sports with beach tourism. Currently, tourists visiting Cua Lo beach can participate in sports such as parasailing and jet skiing; however, the organization of these sports is spontaneous and lacks direction, resulting in small-scale, unorganized activities, and some even pose safety risks due to lax management by relevant authorities. Furthermore, many other attractive sports such as swimming, diving, beach kite flying, and surfing have received little attention or investment, despite being types of activities that international tourists are always eager to explore.

In rural and mountainous areas, apart from the marathons mentioned above, no locality has yet developed sports such as rowing, mountain biking, or trekking in the forest to link with tourism development.

In reality, the link between tourism and sports will contribute to shifting the flow of tourists in terms of space and time, reducing seasonality, and attracting tourists during off-peak seasons. Therefore, to promote the development of sports tourism, closer coordination between the Tourism and Culture-Sports sectors is needed. This includes surveying and planning suitable locations and areas for organizing sports tourism programs, and attracting investment in infrastructure to organize sports activities combined with tourism development.

In addition, there is a need for a plan to encourage and support businesses in organizing sports events to attract tourists; focusing on forming a series of tourism promotion events associated with sports competitions, thereby creating distinctive and attractive sports tourism products for the province.