Visitors to A Luoi Tourist Center

According to Mrs. Ating Tuoi - Vice Chairman of People's Committee of Dong Giang District, Head of the joint Bloc in 2016: The process of tourism cooperation in 4 mountainous districts of Dong Giang, Tay Giang, Nam Giang and A Luoi marked the end of the two-year cooperation, since the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the localities on February 10, 2014. In 2017, the bloc will focus on improving the efficiency of tourism exploitation and development in a sustainable manner.

With the technical support and resources of the ILO, UNESCO and the professional involvement of Thua Thien Hue Tourism Department, Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Bloc has issued the Tourist handbook of The Legendary Route of Ho Chi Minh through Dong Giang - Nam Giang - Tay Giang - A Luoi; and released publications and panels advertising for tourism of each locality at the tourist sites...

Many tour operators have brought tourists to these destinations such as HG Hue Joint Stock Company, Dai Bang Travel Service and Media Advertising Joint Stock Company, Hoi An Tourism and Services Joint Stock Company, Hoi An Travel-Discovery-Adventure LTD Company, ... with diversified and attractive tours.

To tighten the link in the coming time, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc - Deputy Director of Thua Thien Hue Tourism Department said that they will consider establishing the shared website for 4 districts and suggest to local authorities building roads to tourist destinations. Thua Thien Hue Tourism Department will also coordinate to invite the Famtrip delegations to explore tourism destinations, support the construction of tours linking these 4 localities, organize professional training courses on tourism as well as search for international partners to provide technical assistance for tourism development in the four mountainous districts.

In the future, the joint ecotourism will take advantage of the Ho Chi Minh Trail - a route linking outstanding ecotourism sites in Central Vietnam such as Thien Duong cave, Phong Nha cave (Quang Binh), Khe Sanh (Quang Tri), A Luoi (Thua Thien Hue), Dong Giang - Tay Giang - Nam Giang (Quang Nam)- which is promising to provide links among destinations. This will enable tourists to take a tour from Da Nang to Quang Binh, contributing to the creation of jobs for local communities in the mountainous areas, helping to protect the destinations’ environment, reducing deforestation and burning for agriculture, which can ruin the natural landscape.

With the mountainous terrains, valleys, and a dense river system with many beautiful natural landscapes and ideal climate, the above four places are a convergence of many advantages to develop ecotourism. In particular, there are diversified cultures of many ethnic groups such as Cotu, Pako, Ta Oi, Pahy, Van Kieu, Kinh ... with traditional handicrafts, especially the brocade weaving, Zeng weaving of the largest Cotu community in Vietnam. Dong Giang, Tay Giang, Nam Giang brocade weaving and  Ta Oi Zeng weaving (A Luoi) have been put on the national intangible cultural heritage list since 2015.

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with the trend of tourists visiting natural landscapes, in 2016 and the first months of summer 2017, the number of visitors to the ecotourism sites associated with mountains and forests, wild nature, fresh air has increased rapidly. Community-based ecotourism, sustainable tourism in harmony with the environment in the Central provinces are becoming attractive.

Culture and Information Division of A Luoi district informed that in the first 6 months of 2017, there are 404 tours linking the four localities (A Luoi - Dong Giang - Tay Giang - Nam Giang), with 258 foreign visitors coming to tourist attractions in A Luoi. The number of independent visitors is about 9,200. Revenue from tourism services is estimated at VND 4.25 billion, growing by VND 450 million compared to the same period of 2016.

By Ha Giao