Cultural experts believe that perhaps it is time for heritage tourism in Quang Nam in particular and the whole country in general to know how to "renew itself".
Identify a journey
Mr. Nguyen Su, former Secretary of Hoi An City Party Committee, once acknowledged that the previous history has created a space, shape and conservation advantage of Hoi An ancient town. In 1999, along with My Son, Hoi An was officially recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.
Cultural tourism values are therefore cared for and explored, through each stage of development, adjusted and modified to change in the most positive direction. Each festival taking place in this land is another opportunity for Hoi An people to tell their stories. However, we cannot keep telling the past forever...
Taking Hoi An and My Son as a fulcrum, Quang Nam has built a journey with heritage, with the Festival opening in 2003. That was also the time when the coastal city of Da Nang "began to transform", towards the stature of modern civilization.
As for Quang Nam, the story of the harmony between the sea and the mountains, between the past and the future, is still in the human consciousness. Each festival event honoring the land raises "controversial" questions.
The schedule for building and organizing the Quang Nam Heritage Journey Festival from a cultural tourism perspective can be seen to have four special highlights. The first time, in 2003, simply connected two local heritages, Hoi An and My Son, a simple event describing the existing heritage.
For the second time, in 2007, the Heritage Festival connected with external heritages, connecting in the true sense of internationalization, introducing other heritages of the same age, value and many other spiritual stories.
The third time, in 2013, the event officially changed its name to Quang Nam Heritage Festival, changing from being held every two years to once every four years. The highlight this time was the expansion of the program from Hoi An and My Son to connect with the western mountainous regions, telling majestic natural stories beyond the usual narrow spaces.
The fourth time, in 2017, was considered a “great festival” with the participation of 33 countries and territories, promoting the spirit of international integration from humanistic and humane values. This festival gathered a large force of thousands of actors and 7 local spaces, telling typical stories from the forest to the sea, expressing a Quang Nam with diverse values, the mutual support between cultural heritage and natural heritage…
Mr. Nguyen Su concluded, summarizing those activities, "whether we understand ourselves or not, then we can consider whether others understand us". The concern of Quang Nam heritage, in the end, lies in identifying its own unique values, in order to easily accept other intersecting values, and thereby strengthen itself, "going forward with heritage"?
Progress with new rhythm
Through discussions with consultants, we can see three changing issues in reshaping heritage culture in the new context.
Firstly, digitalization is becoming a natural part of human life, in which tourism culture is most affected. With digital technology, the opportunity to see and “experience online” a famous landmark, construction… of each person has expanded and become much more economical. Therefore, heritage values now need to be digitized, 3D-ized, using artificial intelligence to explain and interpret, allowing for large dissemination and customization.
What should Quang Nam's cultural heritage, from specific construction heritage to natural heritage, do to not miss the opportunity to reach the world? The government should invest in projects and real solutions to introduce the heritage more directly and accurately, accompanied by stories, thereby attracting more attention from the community about the heritage.
Second, the experience of world tourism, through the influence of technology and big data information, is no longer limited to feelings of excitement and curiosity, but goes into in-depth stories and specific, unique tourism products. When tourists can access heritage through their phone screens, the reason they set foot on heritage is to find their own emotions, their own stories...
Festivals and heritage festivals therefore need to delve into the perceived value of each specific and clear product, providing stories and subtle emotional content to attract tourists' interest.
Third, the concept of “turning heritage into assets” is an increasingly strong orientation in areas and localities with heritage. Museums and the preservation of existing heritage values are a clear issue. It is necessary to prepare data, issues, including knowledge on how to protect and preserve our current heritage, so that future generations can understand correctly and appreciate it. Anything that is happening or being organized can be turned into heritage documents in the future.
With this perspective, the Quang Nam Heritage Festival needs to transform into today's vibrant stories, from how we have protected heritage, to how we can digitize and cloud data and scientific knowledge about heritage.
The rhythm of life development is positioning the sources of tourists who want to go back in time, learn both spiritual and scientific knowledge, so the form of Festival events is not simply a festival of flags and flowers. It is necessary to have specialized seminars and in-depth events, attracting people who want to truly learn about the past and present heritage.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/du-lich-quang-nam-lam-moi-minh-tren-duong-di-san-3152095.html
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