Lam Dong Tourism and the story of "critical point"

Up to now, the issue of "critical point" is still a concern for those interested in the story of Lam Dong tourism.

Tourists experience agricultural tourism in Da Lat area

Approaching the “critical point”

With a large locality like Lam Dong , many tourist destinations are no longer mentioned in potential form, but have become famous brands such as: Da Lat, Mui Ne... However, according to the opinions of some experts as well as tourism managers, from many perspectives, these dream destinations have begun to show signs, or are approaching the "critical point".

Sharing about this issue, Mr. Do Mot - Strategy Director of Ong Vang Marketing and Training Company said: "There are at least 4 load groups considered in the "critical point".

Firstly, the capacity of area, yard, and passenger density is based on spatial calculations.

Second, when the number of tourists increases too much, it leads to inflation, price escalation, and loss of benefits for local people.

Next, when locals feel negatively impacted, acceptance decreases, or visitors are dissatisfied with the experience.

And finally, the endurance of the natural environment, ecosystem, and tourism resources. Based on the concept and content of the four groups of endurance above, I personally think that Da Lat and Mui Ne are approaching the “critical point”. This will affect the attraction and value of the destination”.

One of the easily recognizable forms of this “tipping point” is the problem of making tourists frustrated, local visitors and local residents reacting to the loss of identity, poor quality services, exceeding the tolerance of the environment, culture, infrastructure, community...

There needs to be a close connection between the three pillars.

According to Mr. Do Mot, tourism is a special industry, which can be said to be a synthesis of many different industries. However, it is formed from 3 pillars: “state”, “enterprise” and “people”. The manifestations of “critical points” also originate from these 3 pillars.

“Local management has not yet defined a sustainable development strategy, still leaning towards “growth” in breadth, that is chasing quantity. It has not really focused on “development” in depth, that is quality.

Businesses lack investment in depth of experience, still exploiting in a “horizontal” way, relying on old business models. Tours and services are similar, less creative, lacking identity. People have not really been given a role in the tourism value chain, leading to products and services lacking identity and pride.

Culture and traditional crafts only exist in the form of “performance” and are not lively and individual. To put it bluntly, the current “critical point” in the tourism industry is a “reflection” of short-term thinking, considering tourism as “exploitation” and not “creation”, Mr. Mot added.

Tourists experience the golden sand dunes

It is not difficult to see that beach tourism in Mui Ne, scenic spots in Da Lat, Phan Thiet... of Lam Dong province have somewhat lost their appeal, due to their "blandness", lack of attraction to tourists due to lack of uniqueness, lack of support services as well as accompanying services.

To change this, according to many experts and tourism strategists pointed out in many large and small seminars, it is necessary to reposition the core products of each region and each destination in the overall positioning of Lam Dong tourism.

And based on this “new positioning”, build a strategy and framework based on characteristics. Along with that, the government creates mechanisms, businesses invest in experiential product content, and the community participates directly. Furthermore, it is necessary to improve the infrastructure supporting the experience such as: roads, parking lots, public restrooms, signs, and systematic human resource training...

Mr. Nguyen Nhat Vu - Vice President of Lam Dong Tourism Association, Deputy Director of Dalat Tourist said: Most destinations such as Da Lat, Mui Ne or Phan Thiet are falling into a state of "similarity" in experience. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on developing specialized products, upgrading accompanying services and promoting the application of digital technology .

According to Mr. Vu, Da Lat, Mui Ne (Lam Dong), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) can completely become a "tourism triangle" with complementary products: sea - mountain - resort city. There should be package tours, inter-regional combos to extend the length of stay.

In particular, there needs to be a “public-private partnership”: the government plays a coordinating role, businesses develop products; at the same time, cooperate with the community to develop homestay services and experience local culture.

New story for Lam Dong tourism

To create attraction for Lam Dong tourism in the future, it is necessary to have a “new story”. The story is based on heritage. “To change the “bland” situation, it is necessary to have close cooperation between the state - enterprises - community.

Most importantly, we must have new products, create unique experiences, have synchronous services and professional communication. Then, Da Lat, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet will not only maintain their brands but also reach international levels," Mr. Nguyen Nhat Vu is sure about that.

At the macro level, what Lam Dong needs is a truly sustainable development strategy. This includes controlling the environmental load, protecting the ecosystem and culture, and investing in synchronous infrastructure. Tourism cannot just chase after the number of visitors but must know when to stop to maintain quality.

Development revolves around 3 axes: green tourism and sustainable development, healing tourism and personalized tourism.

At the micro level, it is the specific tourism products that make the difference. Tourists do not come to Lam Dong just to see the scenery, but to “touch” the emotions: the sea, flowers, and forests associated with the indigenous cultural life of that land.

If we do well at both of these levels - both planning an overall strategy and creating unique products, Lam Dong tourism will certainly have lasting appeal, not only for today's generation.

Panorama of Phan Thiet

The “tipping point” in the tourism industry is that products no longer have new elements. The two pillars of “function” and “emotion” that products and services bring have “reached the threshold” in the customer experience journey. On the other hand, it is the impact of human activities that affect the decline of the environment, culture and society.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/du-lich-lam-dong-va-cau-chuyen-diem-toi-han-389877.html