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Experience Sports Tourism Under the Canopy in Dong Nai

(News Portal – Dong Nai) - The Dong Nai Nature and Culture Reserve (the Reserve) currently manages over 100,000 hectares of forest. This area boasts one of the highest biodiversity levels in Southeast Vietnam. Besides exploiting eco-tourism products, forest and lake retreats, the Reserve has also become a popular destination for tourists in recent years through sports events. 

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Athletes participating in the Tri An Ultra Marathon 2024. Photo by: Coffeerary Event.

In recent years, sports events have been organized more frequently and on a larger scale, attracting thousands of participants. These sports events have also drawn a significant number of tourists to the Reserve to watch and combine their visit with sightseeing and relaxation.

Sports tourism is one of the growing travel trends worldwide. Consequently, the focus on promoting sports tourism at the Reserve in recent years has yielded positive results. Through sports events, the Reserve has gained wider recognition and attracted a large influx of tourists during each event.

The most notable recent event was the Tri An Ultra Marathon 2024, organized to commemorate the grand holidays of April 30 and May 1. The event, co-organized by the Reserve, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, local authorities, and businesses, attracted thousands of participants and supporters.

Mrs. Dinh Thi Lan Huong, Deputy Director of the Reserve, shared that in recent years, the Reserve has hosted several major sports events such as the Dong Nai Green Marathon, the annual Traditional Cycling Race to the War Zone D, and recently the Tri An Ultra Marathon 2024. Besides these events, some local tourism businesses have also developed experiential tourism products, such as exploring the forest and Tri An Lake by bicycle, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), or hiking. With its cool atmosphere and diverse natural beauty, the Reserve always impresses visitors at every moment of the day, drawing more and more tourists to experience and explore the War Zone D forest, listen to historical stories, and foster a sense of freedom and national pride.  

Tourism experts note that if in the past, sports tourism was merely a small branch of tourism activities, in recent years, it has become a new trend. Many sports events are organized at upscale tourist sites and accommodations. These sports events also boost the development of culinary, transportation, lodging, and shopping services. Therefore, maintaining the organization of sports events and cultural festivals is currently being promoted by the tourism industry in many localities through events and tournaments, enhancing the visitor experience.  

During peak summer tourism periods, holidays, and festivals, many businesses organize tours to explore and experience cycling and hiking in the base area forests; paddleboarding on Tri An Lake, and lessons on forest environment protection at the Reserve. Some local businesses also exploit tourism in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner. Through these lessons, visitors will understand and recognize various plant species, raising awareness about protecting the natural landscape environment. This demonstrates a civilized and responsible approach to nature conservation linked with sustainable tourism development.

Alongside the advantages and potential that sports tourism brings, tourism experts also believe that developing sports tourism requires more factors than other types of sightseeing and leisure tourism. This type of specialized tourism demands that organizers have expertise in both travel and health, as well as rescue skills. Currently, some units and individuals organizing sports tourism and exploration tours, especially extreme sports like mountain climbing, paragliding, and water sports, lack the necessary skills, leading to health incidents or getting lost during tours, affecting the security, safety of tourists as well as the tour area.

To equip organizers with knowledge and rescue skills, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism recently held a training session on rescue skills in extreme sports and experience sports tourism in the province. Through this training, travel businesses acquired necessary knowledge and skills in rescue and emergency response, which help the organization of extreme sports and tours.

Recently, Dong Nai has organized many provincial and national sports events. These sports events contribute to promoting the image and boosting the development of Dong Nai tourism. Sports tourism is showing strong growth, playing an important role in the local socio-economic development. In the future, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism will continue to enhance the quality of human resources, ensuring all criteria are met when organizing sports tourism tours, especially extreme tourism types like mountain climbing, paragliding, and boating. ​

Author: Nam Huu

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