VietNamNet Bridge – The Central Highlands province of Daklak, the nation’s biggest coffee growing area, will launch a tour program in which guests can visit coffee processing facilities and gain hands-on knowledge of the cultural space of Gong which was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Staff of Vinacafe give instant coffee to guests at a news conference held in HCMC last week to introduce the Central Highlands coffee and cultural festivals in 2017 – Photo: Dao Loan/SGT

The organizing committee of the sixth Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival and the Central Highlands Gong Culture Festival 2017 talked about the new tour program at a press conference held in HCMC last week.

The new Heritage Itinerary Tourism Program will be launched on the occassion of the coffee festival which is slated to take place in Buon Ma Thuot City from March 8 to 13 next year.

Speaking to the media, Y Bier Nie, chairman of the province, said coffee is an important source of income of half a million households in Daklak and other provinces in the Central Highlands, and that Gong is part of the spiritual life of residents there. Therefore, the province combines the two special cultural values to introduce a fresh tourism product.

A range of activities will be held during the festivals, including a trade promotion conference, an exhibition on the coffee industry, a street festival, a farmers competition, and an elephant riding festival.

The trade promotion conference would discuss issues such as improving living standards of ethnic minorities, and attracting investment from big corporations.

According to the organizing committee, the festivals are expected to attract nearly 20,000 visitors. Hotels in the province can serve around 7,000 tourists at a time but there will be some new hotels up and running just in time for the festivals and homestay services will also be made available.

SGT