Improve the quality of festivals and events to attract tourists

The 2024 Peace Festival attracts many domestic and international tourists to Quang Tri - Photo: TU LINH

In 2024, Quang Tri province will attract more than 3 million tourists, including more than 168,000 international visitors, with social revenue reaching VND 2,400 billion (of which specialized revenue is more than VND 975 billion). This result is thanks to the significant contribution of events and festivals organized by the province, increasing the number, length of stay and spending of tourists.

Typically, the Flag Raising Ceremony to celebrate the 49th anniversary of the complete liberation of the South and national reunification on April 30 (1975-2024); the 52nd anniversary of the liberation of Quang Tri province on May 1 (1972-2024) was held on the morning of April 30, 2024 at Hien Luong Flag Tower on the North bank of Ben Hai River.

In particular, 2024 is the year when many festivals and events take place in the province. The political art program "Parallel 17 - Desire for Peace" was organized by Nhan Dan Newspaper in collaboration with Quang Tri province on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Agreement on the cessation of war and restoration of peace in Indochina on July 21 (1954-2024). The program was uniquely designed, on a multi-dimensional stage, with Hien Luong Flag Tower as the center. The live-action space was elaborately constructed, recreating many vivid images of the heroic time of the nation.

A typical example is the 2024 Festival for Peace program with many important highlights taking place in many localities in the province. The Festival for Peace has received the attention and participation of leaders of the Party, State, ministries, central branches, international organizations, diplomatic missions, non-governmental organizations, leaders of provinces, cities, and large corporations in the country. The festival's activities have attracted a large number of tourists, contributing to economic growth through resort and food services, while attracting investment interest from domestic and foreign organizations, businesses, and individuals to promote investment in Quang Tri.

Along with the festivals, in 2024, there will be important events: Announcement of the Prime Minister's Decision to recognize Dong Ha City as a type II urban area, directly under Quang Tri province and the 15th anniversary of the establishment of Dong Ha City (2009-2024); Conference to announce the Planning of Quang Tri province for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 and the groundbreaking ceremony of Quang Tri Airport Project; The "Journey to the Land of Fire" marathon organized by Quang Tri province and Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper... These festivals and events not only contribute to promoting the image of Quang Tri but also create attractive and diverse tourism products to meet the needs of tourists.

In July 2024 alone, the total number of tourists to Quang Tri is estimated to reach more than 712,000 (an increase of 105.6% over the same period in 2023), of which international visitors are estimated to reach nearly 31,000; specialized guests are estimated to reach more than 273,000; visitors are estimated to reach nearly 440,000. Social revenue is estimated to reach 577 billion VND, of which specialized revenue is estimated to reach 163 billion VND.

Despite many efforts, many festivals and events have had limitations in their organization and have not created their own unique identity. According to Dr. Tran Dinh Hang, Director of the Central Institute of Culture, Arts, Sports and Tourism of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, many festivals and cultural events in the province, despite many efforts, lack a clear strategy in identifying and promoting cultural values.

Many events are still just performances, not connecting local residents with tourists; not systematic, lacking connections between sectors, leading to low efficiency. Economic activities surrounding festivals and events have not yet fully exploited their potential. Some festival venues are limited in capacity and ability to serve tourists. Although the communication and promotion strategies have been tried, they are not strong enough, so they rarely attract international visitors.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the activities to celebrate meaningful events and festivals last year achieved many encouraging successes, however, it is necessary to clearly recognize the limitations so that the following events can be better organized. The events and festivals were organized in conditions where the province still faced many difficulties in terms of resources, so they did not meet the requirements.

Coordination between departments, branches, units and localities in some specific tasks is not timely and close, and responsibility is still being avoided. In particular, the 2024 Festival for Peace is organized for the first time in the province, so the implementation is still quite passive. Infrastructure and facilities for the festival are still lacking and weak, and services have not met the needs of tourists. Reception, celebration and social mobilization work in some places are still passive.

Quang Tri has all the elements to build attractive tourism products through festivals and events. Therefore, exploiting cultural elements to create a sustainable festival and event tourism value chain while increasing the image recognition value of Quang Tri is an urgent issue. Dr. Tran Dinh Hang proposed that Quang Tri needs to invest in infrastructure, especially better tourism infrastructure to organize national and international events that can attract global tourists.

To do so, it is necessary to focus on calling for international cooperation to bring major events to the locality, such as music festivals, specialized conferences, art festivals, film studios... Encourage investors to build large-scale, high-standard event venues in potential areas such as Dong Ha, Cua Viet, Cua Tung. Only then can we attract more and more tourists to the province through festivals and events, contributing to growth in the tourism sector.

Tu Linh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nang-cao-chat-luong-le-hoi-su-kien-de-thu-hut-khach-du-lich-192607.htm