Gia Lai Culture-Tourism Week 2023 Opens Tourism Opportunity For Gia Lai

Gia Lai Culture-Tourism Week 2023 ended on November 19 with many unique activities and successfully opened a huge opportunity for developing tourism in Gia Lai.

Charlotte Pho

November 24, 2023 | 10:35

Gia Lai Culture-Tourism Week was held from November 11-19, featuring a wide range of activities to promote the culture and tourism of the Central Highlands. According to Ta Quang Dong, deputy culture and tourism minister, the event honors the value of the cultural space of gongs in the region, which has been recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the UN culture agency UNESCO.

This is also an opportunity for Central Highlands ethnic groups to meet and learn from each other's experience in conserving, promoting, and disseminating the gong culture space, he said.

The festival attracted over 165 thousand domestic and international visitors in just a few days.

Gia Lai Culture-Tourism Week 2023 Opens Tourism Opportunity For Gia Lai

Foreigners try Ruou Can (Tube wine) at the festival. Photo: H.N

In the framework of the festival, the running race "Gia Lai City Trail 2023 - The Great Dream" made a strong impression on Vietnamese participants and international tourists. The running race attracted nearly 4,000 runners from all around Vietnam. Along the track, people were able to admire the natural beauty of the Gia Lai plateau and cherished the strong sports spirit.

Nguyen Dac Quynh, a female runner from Ho Chi Minh City talked about her joyful experience: “At first, I did not intend to participate because I had registered for many other running events, but at the last minute I was attracted by the beautiful image promoting the route. When I came here, I realized that my decision was right.”

Luong Vo Thanh, another runner participating in the event, said his reason to joy the race is because of the impressive track. He said: “Our group has 5 people, all of whom have never been to Gia Lai, and really do not care much about the running races outside of the big city. Until a friend showed me pictures of the track, I immediately fell in love. My first impression about this highland is that it brought me a familiar feeling with the fresh atmosphere, gorgeous forests, and marvelous mountains in the background”.

As part of the Gia Lai Culture-Tourism Week, there was also a trade fair showcasing the province's distinctive agricultural produce. About 250 booths introduced local handicrafts, farm specialties, culinary delights, and tourism-related products.

Meanwhile, the Gong Culture Festival brought together ethnic communities from 5 Central Highlands provinces. This was also the highlight of Gia Lai Culture-Tourism Week, as it introduced the wonderful culture and people of this land to many travelers from different countries. The success of Gia Lai Culture-Tourism Week 2023 has started the spirit of community working together in tourism.

The success of Gia Lai Culture-Tourism Week 2023 has started the spirit of community working together in tourism. Photo: H.N

According to Nguyen Thi Thanh Lich, vice chairwoman of the People's Committee of Gia Lai Province, as many as 1,000 artisans from five Central Highlands provinces participated in this year’s event. "We are determined to create a truly remarkable, fresh, and impactful Gia Lai Culture and Tourism Week 2023," she said.

Gia Lai Culture-Tourism Week is highly appreciated by tourism service businesses, as it creates strong effects in terms of promotion and communication, drawing international tourists to Gia Lai. Travel agencies have services for individual travelers and group tours to bring guests to have the most wonderful journeys of their lives.

Tourism in the first 11 months of 2023 has grown quite high in Gia Lai, compared to the same period last year. Total number of visitors is estimated at 1.1 million (up 29% over the same period last year), and total tourism revenue is about 742 billion VND (up 30.2% over the same period last year).