Promoting advantages of a favorable position, with diverse and unique tourism potential, Kon Tum province has gradually developed to become an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists. Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Kon Tum, said that this is the premise for Kon Tum to focus on developing tourism in a sustainable way, making tourism a key economic sector of the province. Cong Luan reports.
Can you summarize the main features of local tourism development?
Kon Tum is favorably located on the East-West Economic Corridor, in the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Development Triangle, with Ho Chi Minh Road passing through, Bo Y International Border Gate. Transport infrastructure ensures connectivity with Central Coastal provinces, the Central Highlands and other tourist destinations throughout the country.
Tourism potential of Kon Tum is in its diverse and rich natural and human resources. The culture of ethnic minorities preserves unique traditions that carry a distinct identity of customs and practices. Local festivals are held regularly. Many types of folk music and folk linguistic arts create opportunities for developing typical tourism products. Kon Tum has abundant natural resources such as Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Chu Mom Ray National Park and Dak Uy Special-use Forest. The Mang Den eco-tourism site in Kon Plong has been planned by the government to be a national tourist complex by 2030. Bo Y International Border Gate is associated with the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia trilateral border landmark, which is favorable for tourism development. Kon Tum also has many historical and revolutionary cultural relics such as Kon Tum Prison, and the victory relics of Mang Den, Dak To - Tan Canh. These potential advantages allow Kon Tum to develop many typical products of cultural and ecotourism.
With abundant tourism potential, Kon Tum province has gradually become an attractive destination for both local and foreign tourists. Infrastructure is being improved, including transport infrastructure, tourist accommodation, and new tourist areas built up in the districts and cities of the province.
Up to now, the province has 132 tourist accommodation establishments with 1,919 rooms; 10 travel companies; the average annual tourist arrivals to Kon Tum of about 400,000 - 450,000. The tourist attractions in the province are taken care of by authorities, branches and religious organizations to preserve construction and embellish, install signposts, maintain environmental hygiene to serve the demand of visitors. These are good signs for Kon Tum to continue to develop tourism sustainably in the period of 2019-2020 and the following years, contributing to poverty reduction and development in line with general socio-economic growth of the province.
With the aim of making tourism a key economic sector, which specific projects and programs have you carried out"?
On May 18, 2017, the Provincial Standing Committee of Kon Tum issued Program 35-CTr/TU to implement Resolution 08-NQ/TW dated January 16, 2017 of the Politburo (XII course) on tourism development becoming a key economic sector; Kon Tum Provincial People's Committee issued Plan 2058/KH-UBND on August 1, 2017 to implement Program 35 - CTr/TU dated May 18, 2017 of the Provincial Standing Committee, Decision 1607/QD - UBND dated December 28, 2016 to approve the project of tourism development in Kon Tum province to 2020; Plan 3466/KH-UBND dated December 22, 2017 on developing community tourism in Tu Mo Rong district, Dak Glei district and many other documents. In addition, every two years, the provincial People's Committee issues plans and programs to organize the activities of "Kon Tum Tourism - Culture Week", including tourism promotion activities through local cultural festival activities, food festivals, tour connections, tourist routes.
Local governments in the province have also issued many programs and plans to implement the general guidelines and programs of the province on tourism development associated with the construction of new agriculture, and One Commune One Product program, to quickly make tourism a spearhead economic sector of the province.
How have you implemented the tourism development strategy?
To diversify tourism products, in addition to developing cultural tourism experiences, through festivals, daily life and local culinary customs of the ethnic minorities in the province, Kon Tum also has products setting up visits to historical relics, cultural and spiritual relics. Recently, the province tapped the potential of natural landscape tourism, community tourism such as in Chu Mom Ray National Park, Kon Tum City and especially Mang Den eco-tourism site in Kon Plong district. The province has gradually improved tourism infrastructure.
Kon Tum has also promoted the reform of administrative procedures, facilitating the development of tourism business. The province has disseminated and instructed tourist sites, destinations, propagated to visitors the code of tourist conduct, to respect the local culture, to keep the environment hygienic, ensure food safety and security for tourists. The good signal is that in the past years, in the province, there have been no negative phenomena to be dealt with, while people have a positive attitude, friendly to visitors, contributing to promoting the image and cultural life of Kon Tum in the process of international exchange and integration.
In addition, the province has also strengthened the work of connecting and promoting tourism to support enterprises in tourism business and consuming typical local products. The typical commodity products of Kon Tum have become increasingly known and popular in and outside the country, such as brocade textiles, Ngoc Linh Ginseng, Mang Den rose myrtle wine and natural products (dried bamboo shoots, medicinal herbs).
On December 28, 2016, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision 1607/QD-UBND to approve the Kon Tum Tourism Development Plan by 2020. What solutions will you focus on to carry out the plan?
To complete the objectives of the plan, it is necessary to have synchronous participation of all levels, branches and political systems, so Kon Tum Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism should continue to advise the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee to instruct all levels and branches to promote the implementation of the tasks and objectives. The department needs to synchronously develop tourism infrastructure, creating conditions for investors and people to participate in a series of tourist activities; exploiting provincial tourism resources properly and promoting sustainable development.
In addition, the province also needs to enlist resources to invest in tourism, ensuring the interests of investors to be harmonized with the benefits of tourism activities. Meanwhile, the province should build a friendly and harmonious Kon Tum tourist environment; and preserve and promote traditional cultural values to contribute to building the unique identity of Kon Tum tourism.
Thank you very much!
Vietnamese
