Despite considerable potential, Dak Lak province needs to develop unique, distinctive tourism products capable of setting it apart if the sector is to achieve breakthrough growth.

Dak Lak is regarded as one of the localities with significant tourism potential thanks to its diverse and highly complementary resource base, ranging from special-use forest ecosystems coupled with national parks to renowned natural landscapes, alongside a system of beaches, islands, bays, lagoons and rich cultural resources.

However, the local tourism industry has yet to fully capitalise on these advantages. The biggest bottleneck remains the shortage of unique tourism products with sufficient depth to encourage longer visitor stays. Most tourists visiting Dak Lak still limit their trips to short-term sightseeing and check-in experiences. The sector continues to operate mainly under an “experience - consumption” model as well as has yet to transition towards “accommodation - leisure - immersive experiences”.

Visitors experiencing elephant-friendly tourism at Buon Don Suspension Bridge Tourist Area.

In addition, the provincial tourism infrastructure and services remain underdeveloped. Dak Lak still lacks iconic landmark projects capable of attracting high-end visitors. In particular, the night-time economy remains limited, due to a shortage of service spaces including pedestrian streets, night markets alongside large-scale artistic performances, significantly reducing visitor spending.

Regional linkages and product connectivity have likewise fallen short of expectations. According to Mr. Dang Xuan Vu, Director of Dak Viet Travel Company, although Dak Lak occupies a strategic position on the corridor linking the Central Highlands with the South Central Coast, inter-regional tourism routes have yet to be exploited effectively. Destinations remain fragmented, lacking coordination to create long-stay, multi-experience tour programmes.

Elevating the destination

Compared with provinces and cities across the South Central Coast together with Central Highlands, Dak Lak tourism has yet to establish a clear competitive advantage, despite holding distinctive resources capable of establishing a strong brand identity, such as the Central Highlands Gong Culture Space, coffee culture, elephants-friendly and unique coastal attractions.

According to experts, these diverse strengths should be integrated into a signature “forest - sea - culture” experience chain.

Comrade Le Phuc Long, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that in order to realise the goal of making tourism a key economic sector while gradually elevating Dak Lak into one of the national leading distinctive destinations with international stature, the province is pursuing a strategy of in-depth tourism development. Quality, added value, visitor spending combined with stay length will serve as primary indicators of success, replacing growth measured solely by visitor numbers.

Hot-air balloon performance at Nghinh Phong Tower during the April 30 - May 1 holiday period being an attractive tourism product.

Going forward, Dak Lak will shift its tourism development model from “quantity-driven growth” to “quality-driven growth” through strategic solutions, including developing a distinctive tourism ecosystem based on “forest - sea - culture” value chain, creating products with their own stories and identities; focusing on high-quality visitor segments, particularly international tourists, long-stay holidaymakers alongside travellers seeking immersive experiences; and restructuring tourism space under the “highlands - midlands - coastal” model to establish growth corridors coupled with closely connected tourism hubs.

Simultaneously, the province will strengthen regional cooperation to expand integrated tourism routes, while promoting green and sustainable tourism associated with conservation of natural resources along with indigenous cultural values, as well as adaptation to climate change.

Translated by KHUONG THAO