Geotourism: A sustainable approach for Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark

In 2020, Dak Nong Geopark was officially recognized by UNESCO as a Global Geopark. This is not only the pride of local people but also opens up a great opportunity for Lam Dong province to develop tourism in a sustainable direction, combining nature conservation and indigenous culture.

Indigenous culture always attracts the attention of people and tourists.

Land of special values

With a nominated area of ​​over 4,700 km ² , Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark is a land with a diversity of geological heritage, biodiversity, social diversity and meets the criteria of a global geopark. The most prominent feature of Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark is the system of basalt caves, distributed in the D'ray Sap - Chu R'luh area, discovered in 2007 and recognized by the Japan Volcanic Cave Association as a Southeast Asian record in terms of scale, length and uniqueness. The caves still contain many secrets about formation, mineral complexes, biodiversity and archaeological sites. In particular, in the volcanic caves in the Krong No area, scientists have discovered traces of prehistoric tribes living about 6,000 - 7,000 years ago.

In addition, Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark also has a diverse and rich variety of mines, ores, mineral deposits of bauxite, antimony, tin, pozzolan, large-sized opal - chalcedony... In addition, this area also has a rich cultural history with tangible and intangible cultural values ​​such as: Central Highlands gongs, Ot N'drong, and a system of national and provincial relics and scenic spots... Nam Nung Nature Reserve, Ta Dung Nature Reserve, Dray Sap special-use forest - landscape and a part of the South of Yok Don National Park ( Dak Lak ) are places that preserve the typical values ​​of biodiversity of the Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark area.

Volcanic cave experience tourism at Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark

Geotourism - sustainable development direction

Unlike mass tourism, geotourism focuses on exploring, learning and educating about nature, geology and culture, thereby raising awareness of conservation for both the community and visitors. Each destination in the Geopark is not only for sightseeing and photography but also a vivid lesson about the history of the Earth and about human adaptation to the environment.

In recent years, Lam Dong province has stepped up investment in infrastructure, opening tourist routes connecting volcanic caves, waterfalls, natural lakes with indigenous villages. Community tourism models are encouraged to create livelihoods for people, while preserving traditional culture.

One of the typical models in developing community tourism associated with the Geopark is the Yok Nam Nung community tourism group in Nam Nung commune. This community tourism group was established in 2022 and is participated and organized by the local people themselves. It is currently divided into many sub-groups in charge of separate activities such as: welcoming, guiding visitors, performing folk arts, preparing traditional dishes and accommodation services. Coming to the Yok Nam Nung community tourism group, visitors have the opportunity to experience unique cultural activities such as: gong performances, a sacred art form of the Central Highlands people, enjoying traditional cuisine with rustic dishes imbued with local identity such as: rice wine, bamboo rice, grilled meat... In addition, visitors can also stay overnight in traditional stilt houses, immersing themselves in the daily living space of the local people, which is new and attractive to visitors from near and far.

By inviting tourists to participate in the daily life of the community, community tourism activities not only generate income but also contribute to raising awareness of the importance of preserving the environment and local culture. Ms. H'Thuong - Head of the Yok Nam Nung community tourism group shared: "Since its establishment, the group has welcomed many domestic and foreign tourists to visit and experience. Developing community tourism not only creates jobs and increases income for members but also contributes to preserving and conserving traditional cultural values ​​of the nation. The group is also regularly trained to improve its reception and cultural introduction skills to better serve tourists."

Tourists experience reality at Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark

Need cooperation for long-term development

According to the leader of the Center for Culture, Cinema and Management of UNESCO Dak Nong Global Geopark, geotourism is a type of sustainable tourism, educational in nature and brings benefits to the local community based on the potential of geotourism, which is considered one of the mandatory requirements for developing geoparks.

For Lam Dong province, when embarking on successfully building the UNESCO global geopark model, developing the type of geotourism will be an inevitable task in the local development strategy aiming at the goal of sustainable development. For geotourism to become a sustainable direction, Lam Dong needs to continue to focus on the conservation and strict management of geological and cultural heritages; training human resources with knowledge of geoparks; and promoting the image to international friends. Most importantly, it is necessary to raise awareness of the local community - the direct "owners" of the heritage.

Currently, Lam Dong has built 3 tourist routes in the Geopark area including 41 heritage sites. However, to operate these destinations well as promote sustainable development of the Geopark tourism model, it is necessary to have the cooperation of the entire political system at all levels, sectors, and the whole society, with the close leadership and direction of Party committees at all levels, and the unified management of the State.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/du-lich-dia-chat-huong-di-ben-vung-cho-cong-vien-dia-chat-toan-cau-unesco-dak-nong-392430.html