The province has intensified destination survey programs, tourism promotion activities and cooperation with foreign travel businesses, seeking to turn international business contacts into tour products and establish more stable visitor flows.
At the end of May 2026, a delegation of Australian travel businesses surveyed destinations across Gia Lai, experiencing its coastal and island attractions, natural landscapes, cultural heritage, traditional craft villages and local products.
The program also gave businesses from Gia Lai and Australia an opportunity to discuss potential tour programs, length of stay, transportation, service quality and the needs of different groups of visitors.
Nguyễn Phạm Kiên Trung, Vice Chairman of the Gia Lai Tourism Association, said direct experiences allowed international businesses to make more practical assessments of destination products, service quality, connections between attractions and visitor demand.
When products are considered suitable, he said, it becomes easier to develop specific and feasible tour programs.
For the Australian market, the appeal of Quy Nhơn and Gia Lai lies in their combination of coastal and island landscapes, cultural depth, cuisine and the friendliness of local people.
Harry Trần, Chairman of the Vietnamese Business Association in Sydney, said these characteristics could attract Australian tourists, particularly because the destination has retained its natural appeal without becoming overly commercialized.
“The Australian market is noteworthy not only for its size but also for the likelihood of repeat visits when travelers have positive experiences,” Harry Trần said. “This presents an opportunity for Gia Lai to target long-term visitor streams, rather than just attracting tourists for a single season”.
Gia Lai continued its international market expansion at the end of July, when the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with Hanatour Vietnam Co., Ltd., FLC Quy Nhơn and other partners, organized a famtrip to survey and develop tourism products aimed at the South Korean market.
The program enabled South Korean businesses to experience destinations firsthand and hold direct discussions with local businesses about tour itineraries, length of stay and service costs.
Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, Deputy General Director of Kỳ Co Tourist Area in Quy Nhơn Đông Ward, said a survey by South Korean businesses had created more opportunities for direct exchanges on visitor needs and the potential for developing new tour programs.
For Gia Lai, the objective of these famtrips is to go beyond building a network of business contacts. The province aims to convert partnerships into tourism products, products into tour programs and tour programs into sustained visitor flows.
- Pictured: Nhơn Hải beach area (Quy Nhơn Đông Ward). Photo: Đ.N
Gia Lai has a diverse tourism base spanning coastal and island destinations, highland landscapes, cultural heritage, craft villages, cuisine, community-based tourism and scientific exploration.
The challenge is to turn these resources into competitive international tourism products by understanding the preferences of individual markets and designing suitable offerings.
Park Yoonhwan, head of the survey team from Hanatour Vietnam Co., Ltd., said Quy Nhơn and Gia Lai offered attractive landscapes, reasonable travel costs and friendly local people, all of which could appeal to South Korean tourists.
However, he said the locality needed to further improve infrastructure and diversify its tourism products. Beyond summer beach tourism and golf, more year-round entertainment and resort offerings were needed to encourage visitors to stay longer.
Travel agencies also see opportunities for Gia Lai to expand into a wider range of international markets.
Hoàng Thị Thu Sen, Director of Vietravel's Gia Lai Branch, said the province could target markets in Northeast Asia, India, Australia and Europe, particularly travelers interested in cultural, nature-based, green and community tourism, as well as those seeking destinations beyond traditional routes.
“Vietravel is capable of attracting, organizing and serving international tourists to Vietnam, while also designing tours tailored to the characteristics of each market, rather than simply selling pre-existing tours,” Sen said.
She added that Vietravel could serve as a bridge between Gia Lai's tourism resources and international markets.
Meanwhile, Zlatiya Savic, a representative of an Australian travel business specializing in medical and wellness tourism, said Quy Nhơn-Gia Lai offered beautiful scenery, fresh air and diverse cuisine but still lacked specialized wellness and resort products.
She said this segment had strong potential among international visitors.
The feedback from foreign travel businesses points to a broader shift in Gia Lai's tourism strategy: rather than simply selling what the province already has, it needs to develop products based on what international markets are seeking.
Nguyễn Thị Kim Chung, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said tourism promotion would only be truly effective when it generated concrete products and visitor flows.
“Gia Lai is not only aiming to increase international arrivals but also to expand partnerships, enhance service quality and develop products tailored to each market,” Chung said.
She said suitable products and positive visitor experiences would provide a foundation for retaining tourists and gradually strengthening Gia Lai's position on the international tourism map.
The province also sees potential in integrated tourism routes linking the “Mountains embrace the blue sea”.
Alongside Australia and South Korea, Gia Lai is continuing to build connections with other international markets through trade fairs, business exchanges, networking events and destination survey programs.
As competition between destinations intensifies, the ability to create distinctive, experiential and market-oriented tourism products will be a key factor in determining Gia Lai's appeal to international visitors.
