Lam Dong tourism responds to climate change

Dalat is getting hotter

Growing up in Ho Chi Minh City, a place famous for its heat during the dry season in the South, Lan Phuong thought she was used to high temperatures. However, when she went to Da Lat City (Lam Dong) to visit her friends in mid-April, the 27-year-old girl was shocked by the "unbearable heat", with temperatures sometimes reaching 30-31 degrees Celsius. Lan Phuong and her friends mostly stayed in their hotel rooms during the day, only exploring the city in the afternoon.

The heat wave affects the whole country due to El Nino, Da Lat is no exception, the city is now only cool in winter or at night. "The weather is getting more and more extreme," said Mr. Xuan Truong, 35 years old, from Hanoi, while staying with his wife at a hotel in Ward 10, Da Lat City. Ten years ago, Mr. Truong and his wife enjoyed their honeymoon here but did not think about the heat, now everything has changed because "my wife keeps reminding her husband to find a cafe with air conditioning".

Da Lat City is "covered in white" by more than 2,900 hectares of greenhouses. Photo: Minh Chau

Research by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Lam Dong province shows that over the past 30 years, the average annual air temperature of Da Lat has increased by 0.7 degrees Celsius. According to experts, the rapid spontaneous development of greenhouses and high construction density in some areas have destroyed the landscape and urban aesthetics, which is the main factor causing the city to become stuffy.

According to statistics from the agricultural sector, greenhouses for vegetable and flower production in Da Lat have been continuously expanding since 2005. By the end of the first quarter of 2024, the total greenhouse area in the province is about 5,688 hectares, most of which is concentrated in Da Lat with more than 2,900 hectares.

Da Lat City - the political, economic and cultural center of Lam Dong province also recorded a rapid increase in the number of visitors each year, which is one of the reasons why new projects continue to "sprout". In 2006, the "dreamy city" welcomed about 1.3 million visitors, but in 2023 it welcomed over 6.6 million visitors (accounting for over 76.3% of the total number of visitors to Lam Dong in the year). Currently, Da Lat has over 2,430 tourist accommodation establishments, many times more than the number of over 530 accommodation establishments in 2006.

Da Lat city is densely populated with high-rise buildings when viewed from above. Photo: Minh Chau

Tourism industry affected by climate change

Assessing the impacts of climate change on the province's tourism industry, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province said that the locality is a mountainous province with a strongly fragmented terrain, most of its natural resources are not distributed in a concentrated manner, so exploitation is still fragmented, small-scale and there is no effective control to prevent illegal exploitation and use of resources. Although the pressure of deforestation and forest degradation has decreased in the number of violations, the nature of the cases is complicated, in which the cause of land acquisition for production is still a hot issue causing negative impacts on the environment in the context of responding to climate change.

In recent years, due to the impact of climate change, the weather has become hot and uncomfortable, the rainy season has more rain, the time of rain has also changed, the dry season is even drier, tourism development has also been affected.

Da Lat City is often flooded during heavy rains. Photo: Ngoc Thao

Climate change has affected tourism resources and tourist attractions, including natural tourism resources that have been formed. At the same time, it has affected tourism activities, especially travel activities, which have been delayed or even canceled due to bad weather conditions. Infrastructure and technical facilities serving tourism, especially the transportation system, accommodation facilities, and entertainment areas, mainly distributed in mountainous areas with high slopes, are at risk because these are places that are often affected by erosion and flash floods.

The authorities acknowledge that climate change is also a concern for tourists, with extreme weather events such as storms, tornadoes, floods, etc. tending to increase in both frequency and intensity. Tourists are now also concerned about the weather, if the weather is bad, tourism activities will be greatly affected, tour prices will sometimes increase, tours will even be canceled, and there is a possibility of a situation where "temperature increases - revenue decreases". Organizing national and international tourism programs associated with outdoor sightseeing and entertainment activities will be more difficult.

In Lam Dong, tourism is identified as one of the province's key economic sectors. In 2023, the service sector accounts for 38.42% of the GRDP structure; Total retail sales of goods and service revenue is estimated at VND 80,904 billion, of which revenue from accommodation and food services is estimated at VND 13,303.9 billion, and tourism revenue is estimated at VND 62.9 billion.

Adapting to develop sustainable tourism

In recent times, based on available resources, Lam Dong has developed eco-tourism, close to nature, helping to conserve resources, protect the environment and enhance traditional indigenous cultural values. At the local management agency level, environmental protection and natural landscape conservation have initially received attention and implemented many synchronous solutions.

The environmental protection and climate change response of tourism businesses have been demonstrated in a specific and practical manner, with 14 tourist areas and spots in the province paying for forest environmental services according to regulations. Many tourism service businesses have also actively participated in restoring natural landscapes such as planting forests, trees, flower gardens, building and organizing tourism programs associated with biodiversity conservation, contributing to raising tourists' awareness of environmental protection. Using energy-saving devices, informing tourists and proactively implementing activities on World Environment Day, Earth Hour, responding to the Campaign to Make the World Cleaner, guiding tourists to protect the environment, etc.

Da Lat City attracts tourists thanks to its cool weather. Photo: Le Xuan

Faced with the impacts of climate change on the tourism industry, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province, said that the province is proposing sustainable tourism solutions, adapting to climate change, including encouraging the development of environmentally friendly tourism products, applying the 3T model "Reducing and minimizing waste - Reusing waste - Recycling waste" in tourism development activities.

At the same time, the tourism industry will coordinate with the environmental industry to advise and submit for promulgation a handbook on environmental protection in general and solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and respond to climate change applicable to tourists and local people.

For tourist areas combining business exploitation under the forest canopy, it is necessary to strictly comply with the natural forest protection zone, strictly prohibit all violations, minimize impacts, only implement sightseeing, learning and ecological experience tourism activities; Regularly train staff, workers, and tour guides on environmental protection in general and solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and respond to climate change in particular, thereby acting as a bridge to convey and guide tourists to apply at the facility;...

For residents and tourists, the Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province hopes that everyone will raise awareness and community responsibility in living and traveling activities in the locality; comply with regulations and guidelines on environmental protection in general and measures to prevent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and respond to climate change.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/du-lich-lam-dong-ung-pho-voi-bien-doi-khi-hau-20240920150650179.htm