The numbers speak for themselves.
Ten years is not a long journey but it is enough to affirm the position, shape the style and open up the desire for sustainable development for Lao Cai tourism . In 2014, Lao Cai welcomed about 1.4 million tourists, total revenue from tourism reached less than 4,000 billion VND. At that time, the infrastructure was still limited, tourism products were still spontaneous, the highlight was almost only contained in Sa Pa. However, with a strategic vision, the synchronous participation of local authorities, the continuous efforts from people to businesses, Lao Cai tourism industry has "taken off" spectacularly.
By 2024, the total number of tourists has exceeded 7 million, including nearly 500,000 international visitors. Total revenue reached nearly 25,000 billion VND, an increase of more than 6 times compared to 10 years ago. Along with that is a strong breakthrough in infrastructure: Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway, the route connecting the highlands and lowlands, the system of hotels, homestays, and resorts is increasingly professional and modern.
However, the true value of Lao Cai tourism lies not only in the numbers. It is a journey to awaken local potential, preserve cultural identity and make people the center of development.
It is impossible not to mention Sa Pa - a place where the magnificence of nature and the richness of culture converge. Over the past decade, Sa Pa has put on a new coat, both brilliant and profound. Modern constructions such as the world's longest Fansipan cable car, the Sun World Fansipan Legend complex, 5-star hotels on the mountainside... do not lose their inherent rustic beauty, but become a bridge to bring tourists closer to nature and people here.
In January 2020, Sa Pa town was officially established as the first national tourist town in the northern mountainous region. This is not only a recognition of innovation efforts, but also sets the requirement for sustainable development, with conservation as the foundation.
Currently, Sa Pa not only attracts tourists with Fansipan peak, but also with villages such as Cat Cat, Ta Van, Lao Chai, Ta Phin where tourists can experience the life of the H'Mong, Red Dao, Giay people through activities that truly touch the culture: Staying in stilt houses, eating with the locals, embroidering brocade, listening to the mouth flute, and dancing.
Open up new expectations
Not only Sa Pa, but also highland districts such as Bac Ha, Bat Xat, Si Ma Cai, Muong Khuong, and Van Ban are gradually entering the "tourism map" of domestic and foreign tourists. This is the result of the policy of "comprehensive tourism development, leaving no locality out".
Bac Ha, the capital of the White Mong people, has now become an attractive destination with the Bac Ha weekend market, traditional horse racing festival, white plum forests in March, and the golden rice season in late autumn. Bac Ha is also one of the pioneering localities in community tourism, making culture the "main product".
Y Ty is located on a rocky mountain area with an altitude of more than 2,000m above sea level, with complex terrain, divided by high mountain ranges creating many beautiful landscapes, majestic mountains, and rich natural resources.
Si Ma Cai, a land that was once little known, now impresses tourists who love to explore with its spectacular mountain passes, terraced fields, and villages such as Lu Than, San Chai, Lau Thi Ngai... that still retain their wild and rich identity. Si Ma Cai is gradually becoming a destination for eco-tourism and trekking.
Bat Xat, with Y Ty being likened to a "cloud hunting paradise", is a place that preserves the unique cultural heritages of the Ha Nhi and Black H'Mong people. Bat Xat is honored to be the locality that won the "ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Destination" award in 2022, a clear demonstration of the harmonious development direction between conservation and exploitation.
One of the important marks of Lao Cai tourism is the transformation of the role of the people from the objects of support to the subjects of product creation. Hundreds of households have become homestay owners, local tour guides, and people working in traditional tourism services.
Instead of being "urbanized" in the old way, community tourism villages such as Ta Van (Sa Pa), Na Hoi (Bac Ha), Nam Det (Van Ban) are planned in the direction of preserving traditional houses, using environmentally friendly materials, and integrating culture into all experiential activities.
Lao Cai is also a pioneer in making cultural elements the backbone of tourism products. More than 1,000 folk festivals have been reviewed and selectively restored; traditional crafts such as linen weaving, knife forging, corn wine brewing, and panpipe making have been restored and included in experience tours.
Faced with environmental and climate change challenges, Lao Cai has set an early goal of developing tourism in the direction of green - identity - high quality. Many new models such as "zero waste tourism", "health tourism", "agricultural tourism associated with OCOP" have been built, gradually turning tourism into a truly spearhead economic sector.
The province has also increased the application of digital technology in tourism promotion, built digital tourism maps, applied automatic explanations at destinations, and connected accommodation and experience data. Major events such as the Rose Festival, White Plateau Festival, and Ethnic Minority Cultural Tourism Week are increasingly professional, contributing to enhancing the image of Lao Cai in the international arena.
According to the orientation to 2030, Lao Cai aims to welcome 10 million visitors, including 1 million international visitors, tourism revenue reaching 40,000 billion VND, the contribution rate to the province's GRDP exceeding 15%.
Over the past ten years, Lao Cai tourism has not only been a story of growth in numbers, but also a journey of creation full of courage and humanity. It is a Sa Pa filled with flowers and grass but still maintaining the rhythm of pounding rice cakes on New Year's Eve. It is a Bac Ha resplendent in the colors of Mong clothes, echoing with the sound of horse hooves and the sound of the flute. It is a Si Ma Cai or Y Ty still precariously located in the middle of the great forest, but warmly welcoming visitors from afar.
The mark of Lao Cai tourism over the past 10 years is not in the large number of visitors coming and going, but in the way each land knows how to tell its story in the language of culture, of nature, and of the people who have preserved it for generations.
(According to Construction Newspaper)
Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/226/351548/Dau-an-du-lich-Lao-Cai-tr111ng-10-nam-qua.aspx
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