Preserving identity, increasing attractiveness for urban tourism

Along with sightseeing and resort activities,... tourists coming to Thanh Hoa in recent years also have the need to shop and experience culture in urban areas. Accordingly, to increase the attractiveness of destinations, urban areas in the province have been developing tourism based on core values, unique characteristics, creating an impression in the hearts of tourists.

Preserving identity, increasing attractiveness for urban tourism Tourists were impressed with the experience activities of "Old Tet in the ancient village" at Dong Son ancient village, Ham Rong ward (Thanh Hoa city).

Located on the North-South traffic axis, located on the ancient land of Do Mountain and Dong Son culture, Thanh Hoa City has become an attractive tourist destination with many typical tourist products and destinations of the city on the banks of the Ma River. Now, when mentioning Thanh Hoa City tourism, visitors will immediately think of Ham Rong Cultural and Historical Relic Site, "Up and Down the Ma River" tour, Dong Son ancient village, Hoi An cultural park, Thai Mieu of Hau Le Dynasty... Along with that are a variety of interesting culinary, shopping, entertainment and recreation activities.

With its available potential and advantages, Thanh Hoa City is currently focusing on developing three main tourism product lines, including: cultural - historical - spiritual tourism; ecological and agricultural tourism; urban tourism. In particular, urban tourism is oriented to develop based on exploiting typical cultural values and strengths in facilities and infrastructure. With the highlights of this product line such as: Phan Chu Trinh walking street; MICE tourism of national and international scale (tourism combined with events, conferences, seminars); Thanh Hoa city tour.

In order to position the destination brand, in recent times, Thanh Hoa City has regularly organized cultural experiences and unique art performances to serve the people and tourists. In particular, the series of activities "Old Tet in the ancient village" taking place in Dong Son ancient village, Ham Rong ward has left visitors with deep impressions and many attractive cultural experiences. Accordingly, along with organizing spaces for visitors to explore culinary culture, learn about and buy and sell specialties and agricultural products in the "Countryside Market" area... throughout the series of activities "Old Tet in the ancient village" are spaces to organize folk games and performances such as: blindfolded pot smashing, stilts, cockfighting, throwing con, chess, human chess, blindfolded goat catching, shuttlecock kicking, tug of war... In particular, the arrangement of check-in points bearing the mark of Dong Son ancient village has contributed to increasing the attraction of the destination.

It is expected that in the coming time, Thanh Hoa City will research and develop the tourism product “Ham Rong Memories”. In which, it will focus on exploiting and promoting the value of relics, forming a typical tourism product of Thanh Hoa City about “Ham Rong Victory”. Along with that, there will be art programs recreating the heroic epic of Ham Rong Victory, serving the cultural enjoyment needs of domestic and international tourists.

In Sam Son City, aiming to become a festival city, Sam Son has proactively coordinated with provincial departments, agencies, and businesses to organize a series of cultural, sports, and tourism events throughout the four seasons of the year. In particular, many traditional festivals of the Sam Son coastal area have now become "cultural rendezvous points" that attract tourists, such as: Doc Cuoc Temple's Phuc Festival; Banh Chung - Banh Giay Festival; Fishing Festival... Through that, tourists can learn more about the culture of Sam Son and its people. This also shows that, despite being a modern coastal tourism urban area, Sam Son tourism always focuses on creating its own brand and identity based on the core values and cultural characteristics of the destination.

Aiming to develop Sam Son into a national tourist city according to Thanh Hoa tourism development strategy to 2025, vision to 2030, Sam Son City has been focusing all resources to build and develop tourism in a sustainable direction, regional and international standards. In particular, focusing on developing existing tourism products, at the same time researching and exploiting new tourism products and services, forming cultural experience spaces such as night markets, walking streets, etc. At the same time, promoting connections with localities inside and outside the province based on the strengths and characteristics of each destination, in order to form attractive and sustainable tours and tourist routes. Along with that, the city also focuses on supporting investors in the process of implementing key projects, soon forming complex tourism service areas, large-scale, high-class tourism projects, national and international level, high-quality entertainment centers... towards urban development in the direction of an ecological, civilized, modern city with strong cultural identity. This is also the basis for Sam Son City to attract the market of visitors with high spending ability, long stay, gradually eliminating seasonality in the coming time.

According to tourism experts, in order to develop urban tourism and enhance its competitive value, it is necessary to first rely on core values, create a unique identity and brand for the destination. For urban areas in Thanh Hoa province, facing the opportunity to develop in the new situation, in the direction of green growth, it is necessary to seize the opportunity, focus on developing the system of facilities and infrastructure along with exploiting typical tourism products with high-quality services.

Article and photos: Le Anh

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