Dak Lak provincial tourism sector has continued to achieve positive outcomes in the past six months, reaping “sweet rewards” with over 5.3 million visitor arrivals, surpassing the growth target by more than 15%; total tourism revenue more than  exceeded 9.6 trillion VND, 7.7% above target.

According to the development plan, the Dak Lak provincial tourism sector aims to welcome 8 million tourist arrivals in 2026, an increase of 9%; reaching a revenue of 16 trillion VND, an increase of 17% compared to 2025. To achieve this goal, the province will host a wide range of tourism events throughout 2026 to attract tourists.

However, the provincial tourism remains relatively modest compared with neighboring localities; it has not developed proportionally to its existing potential. Unique tourism products lack appeal and distinctiveness; tour and route linkages, as well as connections among businesses, are still restricted; infrastructure along with services at several destinations also fall short of visitor expectations, etc. The majority of tourists visiting Dak Lak only experience short-day tours, focusing on sightseeing combined with check-ins rather than extended stays and high-value spending. Therefore, breakthrough solutions are needed to effectively exploit novel development spaces coupled with enhance its competitiveness.

Nghinh Phong tower and Tuy Hoa beach park - currently attractive destinations for numerous tourists.

Following the provincial merger, the province possesses a diverse and rich system of tourism resources with high complementary value, combining highlands alongside the sea. In particular, the province has outstanding tourism resources in terms of ethnic cultural identity, landscapes, together with symbolic significance including the Central Highlands Gong Culture Space - Cultural Heritage; unique symbolic resources: elephants, coffee, Dai Lanh cape; geological heritage with distinctive landscapes and the sea, etc., which provides a foundation to develop tourism in a distinctive alongside highly competitive direction.

The provincial tourism theme for 2026 is “Dak Lak - Returning to the heritage land”. According to experts, the Dak Lak tourism sector needs to fully exploit its most distinctive and fundamental features to attract tourists; focus on preserving combined with exploiting traditional cultural heritage, linking it with nature to create distinctive tourism products different from neighboring provinces. Particular attention should be paid to selecting key areas to call for investment; training human resources; removing bottlenecks in planning to facilitate investment in constructing tourism clusters and sites; defining tourism product segments coupled with building characteristic product chains; promoting DX and green tourism; as well as forming large-scale driving projects, etc.

The province currently has 787 accommodation establishments along with 9 recognized tourism areas and attractions. Tourism development is expected to generate strong spillover effect on numerous other sectors together with fields involving transportation, accommodation, food and beverage, trade, culture, alongside entertainment; creating employment opportunities for both direct and indirect labor.

To achieve a breakthrough in tourism in the coming period, the province is developing a Tourism Development Plan for the 2026-2030 period, with a vision towards 2050. This serves as a basis for orienting tourism development in a comprehensive manner, effectively utilizing resources, while enhancing the competitiveness of the destination. With a development orientation focused on depth, using cultural identity and local resources as a foundation, it is expected that the provincial tourism will open up novel growth opportunities, soon realizing the goal of making tourism a key economic sector; gradually elevating it to become the national leading unique destination, with international stature.

Translated by TRINH THUY