Recommendation to further develop tourism in the destination

Recommendation to further develop tourism in the destination

Pham Hong Minh

Luong Thi Huyen Trang

Hanoi, May 2009

I INTRODUCTION.

In each course English, members in our faculty have to do an assignment or

a project to improve our knowledge and our skills as well And in this HD1course, we have to do a project about tourism components in group of fourmembers This group project aims at researching information and analyzing thetourism components of a destination in Vietnam

After being told about this project, we got together and choose Dalat to dothis project Next, we shared the work together equally Then each member had

to find information for her part and write down the paragraph At last, wegathered all the small parts into a full-done assignment

We hope that reader will feel interesting with our project and have the necessaryinformation

According to a myth from the French colonial era, the name derives fromthe acronym of the Latin phrase “Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem” Itmeans “giving pleasure to some, freshness to others” The French colonialgovernment used in their official emblem of Dalat In reality, the name derivesfrom the language of the local ethnic group Lat and its original meaning is

“stream of the Lat” and the acronym above is in fact a back acronym

b Geography.

Dalat located in the south of Tay Nguyen Highlands Its surface area is9.772,19 km2 occupying about 2.9% of that of the entire country.

The province borders:

• Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces in the east

• Đong Nai province in the southwest

• Binh Thuan province in the south – southeast

• Daklak province in the north

c Economy.

Dalat’s economy is quite diversified with many kinds of fields such as:commerce, trade, handicraft and vegetable industry

 Commerce and trade

The items occupying a high proportion in the export figures are coffeebean (26.2%), textiles, knitwear and apparel (34.3%), silk (8.36%), tea (11.9%)and tin (6.9%)

For the export market before 1992, the chief market was USSR and European countries

East-In the 1990s, the market for Lam Đong products shifted to the ASEAN,the Middle-East and to some extent, Europe.

Lâm Đồng has 4 central markets: Dalat Market, Bao Loc Market, Di LinhMarket, Lien Nghia (Đuc Trong) Market

d Handicraft.

Although Lam Đong is a mountainous province, its geographical positionand natural conditions have created a fairly close relationship with theneighboring areas, especially with the provinces in the east of the southernregion In addition, Lam Đong has in its territory the famous Dalat city which isboth a resort and a tourist center for the country For these reasons, there hasbeen an increased demand for specialties of the province from among visitors

In Lam Đong in general and in Dalat in particular, there has been increaseddevelopment of local crafts producing fine wines, confectionery and syrupsfrom fruits, processed tea and coffee, unique jig-saw and hydrographic work,embroidery and knitwear, plus the traditional crafts of local minoritycommunities producing textiles, mulled wine, matting, etc

e Climate.

Lam Đong province is situated in the Tay Nguyen Highlands climaticzone 4, a tropical climate with monsoon On the whole territory, due to acomplex topography, there is a difference in elevation and degree of vegetationcovering However, the weather of Lam Đong is temperate and mild all the yearround, notable changes are rare in the annual cycle

With temperate climate, Da Lat has the average yearly temperature at18°C, and even in the hottest day of the year, the highest temperature is onlyabout 31°C, while the yearly lowest is about 5°C Sunny season is fromDecember to March of the following year, and rainy season from April toNovember.

Each day in Da Lat includes all the four seasons, splendid spring in themorning, bright summer at noon, cloudy autumn in the afternoon, and chillywinter at night It is also windy here; cool breezes make the atmosphere airierand fresher

f.Population - variety of ethnic group.

According to the population and housing census (31/12/2005), Lam Đonghas 1.169.851 inhabitants The density is 118 inhabitants / km2.

Lam Đong is a multiethnic province The majority is the Kinh (77%).Besides the Kinh, Lam Đong is inhabited by:

• The aboriginal people: the Koho (12%), the Mạ (2, 5%), the M’Nông, theChuru (1, 5%), the Raglai and the Stiêng

• The people coming from the North: the Tay (2%), the Nung (2%), the Thai,the Muong and the Tho

• The Chinese (1, 5%)

g Transportation.

The transportation on land occupies the highest proportion andpredominates over other means of transportation Up until 31.12.1999, in theprovincial area, the number of vehicles for transportation of all kinds was fairlygreat

The transportation on land employs 2,311 vehicles of all kinds fortransporting goods with freight– carrying capacity of 8,564 tons and 3,059vehicles for passengers with a total of 21,868 seats

The transportation on river employs 31 boats, of which 18 are fortransporting goods and 13 for passengers

 Road network:

At present, the road network of Lam Đong is relatively dense and isdistributed evenly throughout the province This allows accessibility to most ofthe villages by different methods of transport and meets the need for convenienttraveling Up to now, with only the section of national roads going through theprovince, the provincial roads and local roads of all the districts taken intoaccount, in total, the province network of roads extends to 1,744km, of which:

• National roads (20, 27 and 28) are 412.15km

• Provincial roads are 346.25km

• Local roads of all the districts are 985.69km

 Airway:

Liên Khương Airport has a land area of 160ha and has a capacity forreceiving ATR-72 – 26 tons airplanes and their equivalents Due to anincreasing demand for traveling, there is a daily flight from Dalat to Ho ChiMinh City and vice versa

At present, the railway service has been restored to an 8km long section fromDalat station to Trại Mát for tourist purposes

h Tourism.

The unique geographical situation of Lam Đong province is the product of

a combination of topographical, climatic and hydrographical factors Together

with its forests and regional flora and fauna, Lam Đong offers distinctivescenery with many picturesque lakes, falls, hills and pine forests.

Some of the natural scenic spots include Xuan Huong Lake, Đan Kia –Suoi Vang Lake, Tuyen Lam Lake, Lake of Sighs, Valley of Love, Đa NhimLake, Camly Falls, Datanla Falls, Prenn Falls, Pongour Falls, Dambri Falls,Bobla Falls, Liliang Falls, Voi (Elephant) Falls, Pong Giang Falls, Golf Hills,Lang Bian Mountain,etc

Places of historical and cultural intersest include Palace I, Palace II,Palace III, Palace Hotel, Linh Sơn Pagoda, Linh Phong Pagoda, Truc Lam ZenMonastery, Dalat Cathedral, Camly Church, Cemetery of Heros who died forthe country, Cat Tien archaeological site Local minority communities also hold

a variety of festivals including the buffalo sacrifice festival and the gongperformance festival All visitors are invited and welcomed to share in thesefestivals

2 Tourism potential.

Da Lat city is probably one of Vietnam's most well known vacationdestination Since the turn of the century, Da Lat has been the vacation spot forwell-to-do Vietnamese and foreigners It is the unofficial honeymoon Mecca ofVietnam Located on Langbian Highlands, part of the greater Central high lands

of Vietnam, the city is 1500 m above sea level and is 305 km from Saigon.Therefore, it has cool weather all around year Traveling around Dalat, visitorswill have a chance to see wonderful places such as: Xuan Huong Lake, Valley

of Love, Lake of Sorrow, Cambri Waterfall, Tuyen Lam Lake… In addition,visiting to the beautiful landscapes and an excellent climate, tourist can enjoythe unique cultural traditions of many ethnic minorities, including customs andhabits, stilt house, traditional costumes and folk songs Therefore, Dalat attracts

a great of number investors from domestic sources as well foreigner sources todevelop tourism more and more

Base on the available strengths, Dalat tourism needs to orient clearly todevelop those strengths, potential to outline plans step by step in the process ofindustrialization, modernization the tourism industry Besides the investment,upgrade the system of hotels, restaurants of high quality, the training for staffwithin the industry is of great necessity This is one of the most importantfactors that determine the quality of services in any enterprise, in order to meetthe more demanding requirements of tourists Moreover, the authority shouldinvestigate, sort out and evaluate the quality of services on a regular basis

a Nature.

Beautiful landscapes which have been awarded by nature are one of themost strength of Dalat It’s no easy at all for visitors to choose the initial visitingplace in Dalat for its widespread covering beauty DaLat looks like a crossbetween Vietnam and the French Alps The town spreads across a series of pine-covered hills, with a small lake in the center, while surrounded by high peaks,creating lovely scenery quite different from the rest of Vietnam

Today, Dalat is undoubtedly a beautiful tourist town The vast majority ofvisitors are both domestic and foreign tourists on short package tours, drawn bythe scenery, vivid blue skies, fresh air, flower-filled parks, and local edibletreatment Traveling to Dalat, tourists will have a chance to appreciate beautifullandscapes such as: Ho Xuan Huong Lake, valley of love, Prenn waterfall, lake

of sorrow…

b Culture.

Traveling to Dalat, tourists will have many chances to discover the culture

of this land Although the development of Dalat tourism isn’t as long as otherlands in terms of time, Dalat still has special features of culture such as: ethnicminority’s customs, growing-flowers culture, XQ Dalat silk hand embroidery…

In order to help tourists understanding deeply about Dalat culture, Dalatcity has organized cultural festivals every two years Cultural festivals are

considered one of key products of Da Lat tourism In fact, cultural festivalspresent the characteristics of people, land and culture of Dalat

c Typical tourism products.

There is a great deal of typical tourism products in Dalat such as: culturefestival, flower festival, adventure tour, ecological tour, XQ historical village…all of them are important component of Dalat tourism which attracted a lot oftourist from everywhere to visit

Among of them, flower festival is the most attractive and famous one Inthis festival, flowers can be found everywhere and tourists can enjoy manykinds of flower, especially the unique kinds of flowers only in Dalat Thefestival concludes an international flower exhibition, a street flower festival andstreet flower shows, which are very interesting During the festival, tourists cansee and enjoy beauty contests of Vietnam ethnic minorities; therefore they canunderstand the culture and custom of each ethic minorities

 XQ historical village:

XQ historical village is a place where the collection of the most valuableembroidery artworks is kept and exhibited That is the pride and heritage oftraditional embroidery art By the language of things, installation andperformance art, visitors shall hear the breath of life by the harmony ofembroidery artwork

Here is a special place where visitors can enjoy valuable embroidery art is

a feature of Dalat culture XQ village arranged a space coordinated betweeninstallation and performance art In that place, especially by traditional

handicraft tourists could find out the character of national culture XQ village ismeaning place for tourists to visit.

3 History of tourism development.

The first person to explore this region was Mr Nguyen Thong.Approximately 25 years later, in 1893, Dr Yersin, a French immunologistdiscovered Dankia high lands while on an expedition to the Langbian highlands The city was established in 1912 and quickly became fashionable withEuropeans At one point during the French colonial period, some 20% of Dalat’spopulation was foreign, as evidenced by the 2500-odd chateau-style villasscattered around the city

During the American War, Dalat was spared by the tacit agreement of allparties concerned Indeed, it seems that while South Vietnamese soldiers werebeing trained at the city’s military academy and affluent officials of the Saigonregime were relaxing in their villas, Viet Cong cadres were doing the same thing

not far away in their villas Dalat fell to North Vietnamese forces without a fight

on 3 April 1975 There is no problem with leftover mines and ordnance in thearea

Before national liberation day, April 30th 1975, tourism developed quiterapidly in Dalat which considered a relaxing destination of French colonialismand American Empire On the contrary, it is still an unknown destination withalmost Vietnamese because of war period After national liberation, however,government has had many new policies which helped improving Vietnam’seconomic quickly as well as Dalat tourism Living standard of Vietnamesegradually improve and Dalat’s tourism also known more than the past

Until now thanks to its characteristic climate and landscapes, Dalat isconsidered a European City in the midst of a tropical country Dalat becomesthe place for those in need of relaxation, peaceful rest after a period of tiredworking Tourists will have good appetite here and their health be quicklyimproved The calm and peaceful space will also make tourists free from all thestrain and stress of the hurried industrial life

In brief, Dalat’s tourism was developed rapidly like that for the followingreasons:

• Because of its ideal climate, Dalat is almost cool and cold the year round.Whenever you need breathing exercises or gymnastic exercises in the morning;you shall not have to look for a park because almost any place in Da Lat likes apark There are green lawns everywhere In the valleys at the feet of mountainsand hills, it is cold in the morning and everything is covered by fog, beinglooked in the distance even more beautiful than that in London

• The second reason is spectacular nature with many picturesque landscapes,fabulous waterfalls, fertility valleys and gorgeous lakes Visiting Dalat, touristwill wallow in this beautiful land by it is covered all glamour landscapes suchas: Valley of love, Tuyen Lam Lake, Damri waterfall, Bao Dai Palace…

• The third reason is French architecture These houses built herein since theold times were all of French architecture All of age-old villas in Da Lat havethe common features: red tile roofs, indoor hearths and top chimneys However,among over 3,000 villas in Da Lat there is no duplication There are beautifuland imposing works such as the Cathedral (also called the Cock Church),Pedagogy College, Palace Hotel, and Da Lat Railway Station Da Lat lookslike Paris in its outline and architectural diversity Moreover, the houses in DaLat were built on hillsides creating spectacular sights Villas are scattered onhillsides not in any mechanical order Tall or short, large or small plus theirdifferent positions on hills, houses in Da Lat all create a both lively and uniquepicture with diverse and impressive architectures

• The fourth reason is local people People in Dalat famous for friendly andhospitable Beside, visitors to Da Lat all praise the complexion of the localpeople, especially the girls Just look at the pink- fair cheek complexion, and thenatural rosy lips of the girls in Da Lat On the background of highland greenerysuch beautiful features are like ripe persimmons, reminding the sweetness andpurity of natural fragrance and colors Particularly, Da Lat girls are smiling

4 Current tourism development.

a Kinds of tour offered.

With available potentials of natural scenery, landscapes, Da Lat climatehas many chances to promote its strength In the recent years, Lam Dong’stourism in general and Da Lat in particular have provided both domestic andforeign tourists with numerous attractive tours, such as eco-tourism, leisure,adventurous tourism, cultural tours, and most recent is homestay tourism

Previously, tourists came to Da Lat mainly for leisure, eco-tourism, visitinglandscapes in some famous place such as Ho Suoi Vang (Golden Spring Lake),Tuyen Lam Lake, The Valley of Love, etc Tourists will have outdoor activitiessuch as recreation, visiting landscapes while staying in old luxurious villas.Many tourism agencies have introduced and provided for tourists this type oftourism with interesting and useful holidays

Currently, adventurous tourism is combined in eco – tourism to attractmore attentive from tourism both domestically and internationally Particularlythe tours to Damb’ri Waterfall, Cam Ly Waterfall, Lang Biang Mountains andlately, many businesses have been investigating and opening new tourism sitessuch as Tu Than chasm (The chasm of Death) in Da Lat These are likelyexciting tours which can attract a huge number of tourists Moreover, areasaround famous tourism sites, the combination between traditional tours tofamous landscapes and an adventurous tour in a nearby place will make abreakthrough, giving tourists an unforgettable trip

Some popular tour in Dalat:

- An unforgettable day in Da Lat – the city of flowers

Destinations: Prenn Waterfall, Tuyen Lam Lake, Bao Dai Palace, The Valley oflove, Mai Anh church, Da Lat flower garden, Da Lat Su Quan, Mong Mo Hill

- Legendary Lang Biang Peaks

Destinations: Coming to the foot of Lang Biang Mountain from Da Lat,tourists will climb this mountain by Jeep and see the overall picture of Lang

Biang and the surroundings covered with white clouds at a height of 1900meters above sea level Then, tourists will visit and take photos at glitteringDanika Highland with radiant sunlight at the foot of the mountain, as well asbuy the souvenirs hand – made by the local minorities, visit the Lat village, etc.Finally, tourists will come back to Da Lat to visit the Museum of Biology andthe Valley of Love.

- Discover the countryside by bicycle

Destinations: Bao Dai palace, valley of love, XQ historical Artwork, LangBiang Mountain, Golden Valley, Cambri waterfall

- Go boating and elephant riding (half a day)

Destinations:Depart from Da Lat, get on cable hanger to Truc LamTemple, go boating on Tuyen Lam Lake across the camping site ridingelephants, relax in the tent, go sightseeing, go fishing and enjoy the wild beauty

of the nature Return to the harbor, tourists will go by car to visit DatanlaWaterfall (Boat rental and elephant rental not included)

- Da Lat - Pongouh Waterfall – spirit of The Highlands

Destinations: Depart from Da Lat, tourists will visit Tuyen Lam Lake and TrucLam temple, Datanla Waterfall, Pongouh Waterfall Return to Da Lat, touristswill visit the mushroom farm, Da Lat Railway Station and the City flowergarden

- Dankia- The Golden Spring – peaceful paradise

Destinations: Depart from Da Lat, tourists will visit old Linh Quangpagoda, XQ Da Lat Su Quan, where the values of traditional culture and art of

Da Lat are kept Then, tourists will visit The Valley of Love, The GoldenValley, and The Golden Spring Return to Da Lat, tourists will visit Mai AnhChurch

- City Tour

Destinations: Truc Lam Temple, Tuyen Lam Lake, Datanla Waterfall,Bao Dai Palace, flower garden, Tau Pagoda, Magic spinning table, XQhistorical village