Starting from international sports tournaments

At the end of October 2023, the Quy Nhon International Sailing and Stand-up Paddleboard Race 2023 - "Journey to cover the sea with green" took place at Quy Nhon beach. The race attracted 20 professional international athletes from 10 countries such as Australia, France, Singapore, Italy, Japan... Above all, it attracted thousands of domestic and foreign tourists to experience.

From that initial result, Binh Dinh province has chosen to develop local tourism through international sporting events with the message "Journey to green the sea".

Mr. Nguyen Hai Duong, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Sailing Federation, said: Promoting the image of the country and landscapes associated with sports activities will create a great spread, especially in the current 4.0 period. "We are very honored to organize the "Quy Nhon International Sailing and Stand-up Paddleboard Race 2023" with Binh Dinh Province and Binh Dinh F1 Joint Stock Company. However, the important thing is that this is an underwater sport, so it is necessary to preserve clean water sources and protect the environment."

Referring to the “Quy Nhon International Sailing and Stand-up Paddleboard Race 2023”, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Binh Dinh F1 Joint Stock Company Tran Viet Anh said: “This is a sport that is still new in Vietnam, from the content of the sport to the organization. There will certainly be new trends associated with tourism development from sporting events”.

According to Mr. Tran Viet Anh, there are two groups of people that the boat race is aimed at: domestic and international tourists. Moreover, this is not a purely sporting event, but a sports economy (in other countries, sports economy plays an important role in socio-economic development).

One of the world-class sporting events that has also been successfully held in Binh Dinh is the UIM F1H20 International Powerboat Race and the UIM-ABP AQUABIKE Binh Dinh Grand Prix 2024 (Grand Prix Binh Dinh 2024). Mr. Lam Hai Giang, Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee said: This is a major event, of international stature and the first time it has been held in Vietnam in general and Binh Dinh in particular. Binh Dinh is very proud to represent Vietnam in organizing this event".

Recently, in early June, an international sporting event was held in Quy Nhon City, attracting the attention of many people, which was the 2024 Teqball World Cup. According to Mr. Laszlo Vajda, Secretary General of the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ), the Teqball World Cup held in the coastal city of Quy Nhon is an important milestone for Teqball.

“Teqball is growing rapidly around the world and is the fastest growing sport according to social media reports. We are very excited to be present in Vietnam. The Southeast Asian region has become very strong in Teqball and is also one of our strategic regions in the world. In the long term, we do not only aim for this sport locally, but also want to develop it on a national level to bring Teqball to compete in the SEA Games and Olympics in the near future,” Mr. Laszlo Vajda emphasized.

Attracting tourists through sports activities

Mr. Tran Van Thanh, Director of Binh Dinh Province Tourism Department said: During the days of international tournaments, the number of visitors to Binh Dinh is very large. The number of accommodation rooms in Quy Nhon, large hotels, 5-star and 4-star hotels are almost full. Along with the sports tournaments, the province has many events and we also promote them to provinces and cities across the country so that everyone can grasp them.

In the first 6 months of 2024, Binh Dinh tourism industry welcomed about 5.6 million visitors, an increase of 106% over the same period in 2023; tourism revenue is estimated at more than 15,000 billion VND, an increase of more than 96% over the same period in 2023. Binh Dinh province is investing in developing Quy Nhon Bay into an impressive destination for tourists; forming tourism products, entertainment, sea sports, cuisine and folk art performances of Binh Dinh. The locality is focusing on attracting investment to develop coastal resorts along the Quy Nhon - Nhon Hoi - Cat Tien route.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Lam Hai Giang, Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh, said: Tourism is identified as one of the five economic pillars of the province. The attraction of Binh Dinh tourism in the recent period is the upgrading and improvement of infrastructure; the friendliness and hospitality of Binh Dinh people; the wild beauty, almost intact of the natural environment; the tangible and intangible heritages of Binh Dinh's unique culture and history...

“Countries around the world are taking advantage of the opportunity to host major international tournaments to build the country’s image and develop tourism and services. However, sports tourism in Vietnam is not really vibrant and is still in its potential form, waiting for opportunities to be exploited. Therefore, in the coming time, the province will focus on developing this type of tourism. At the same time, a number of new investment projects will be promoted for implementation such as: marinas and yacht maintenance services, yacht factories and accommodation and entertainment services on yachts…”, Mr. Giang added.

According to Mr. Giang, international sports tournaments are not just a simple sports competition, but also an opportunity to promote the image of Binh Dinh tourism in particular, and Vietnam in general to many international friends. Thereby, opening a new direction for the province, which is to develop sea tourism associated with cultural and sports events, aiming to make Quy Nhon - Binh Dinh a destination for regional and international sports events.

“Binh Dinh hosting international sports tournaments is not for tourism revenue, the main purpose is that we want to create a good impression in the eyes of domestic and international friends about the gentle and hospitable “land of martial arts and heaven of literature”. This is also the best way to build a unique brand for Binh Dinh tourism”, Mr. Giang emphasized.