Development of community tourism, a source of livelihood created
Community tourism is currently considered as a type of tourism that brings benefits to indigenous people, ensuring the most sustainable economic development.
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| Community tourism is currently considered as a type of tourism that brings benefits to indigenous people, ensuring the most sustainable economic development. (Photo: dulichvietnam.com) |
Indigenous strengths promoted
Community tourism began to develop strongly in our country since the early 2000s. This type of activity is suitable for the natural, cultural and social conditions of the country as well as the choice of many domestic and international tourists.
In recent times, community tourism has effectively exploited the unique cultural and traditional values of the region, while focusing on experiencing and enjoying traditional "specialties", indigenous food culture, handicraft villages, and folk activities. Besides, visitors can immerse themselves in nature and experience activities like native people, so they can relax, refresh their spiritual life, and perform physical exercise.
According to estimated data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vietnam has about 300 community tourism villages, 5,000 homestays, accommodating about 100,000 guests. Most tourist villages and homestays are in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, including the Northern Midlands and Mountains.
Vietnam's tourism development strategy toward 2030 identifies that tourism truly becomes a key economic sector, creating a driving force for the development of other industries and economic sectors, making an important contribution to forming the economic structure for a modern economy.
The goal is that by 2025, total revenue from tourism is expected to reach VND 1,700-1,800 trillion, an average growth of 13-14%/year, a direct contribution to GDP reaching 12-14%; creating about 5.5-6 million jobs, including 2 million direct jobs, with an average growth of 12-14%/year; welcoming at least 35 million international visitors and 120 million domestic visitors, maintaining an average growth rate of international visitors within 12-14%/year and domestic visitors within 6-7%/year.
In our country, there are many community tourism models that have developed quite successfully. The Northwestern mountainous region has many ethnic minorities living in Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Hoa Binh, Quang Ninh; some Central provinces such as Nghe An, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh; Central Highlands provinces such as Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum; Southern provinces such as Can Tho, Dong Thap, An Giang, and Kien Giang. And many other localities also have highly effective community tourism models. These models not only promote the indigenous cultural strengths of communities and natural landscapes but also contribute to poverty alleviation, with improvement of people's lives.
The development of community tourism has created jobs and increased income for local people through selling tourism products to tourists in addition to income from their traditional jobs; creating sustainable links between many economic sectors together, expanding markets for their products, goods and services. At the same time, it is believed to promote the image of localities and countries to friends around the world and across the country.
Ms. Ly Thi Pay in Nam Dam hamlet, Quan Ba commune, Quan Ba district, Ha Giang province said: "In the past, families and households were mainly farmers, so we were all very poor and living a hard life. Since we started working in tourism, we earn more income, so life is less difficult."
As one of the leading households in opening homestay services in Khuoi Khon (Cao Bang), Mr. Chi Van Khon describes that tourists are very excited to stay at a stilt house and experience daily activities with local people; like preparing traditional dishes, taking care of livestock and poultry, embroidering, and weaving brocade, so his family opens an accommodation service to serve tourists. Working as a homestay service, his family's income has become more stable, gradually qualified for further development, creating more income, improving quality of life.
The development should not be trendy
Besides the positive aspects, community tourism activities in our country still have many limitations; there is no systematic investment, most localities do not have master plans at the provincial and regional levels, leading to overexploitation of natural resources, thus the culture and products could be deformed.
The service is poor and unattractive. So, most tourists, especially foreigners, only come once. The training and coaching for officials and people working in community tourism services is still an act of movement and formality, not yet in substance and practicality. Promotion activities for community tourism are still limited. The majority of households perform the tourism service spontaneously, experimentally, and they lack coordination with domestic and foreign travel companies.
In order for Vietnamese community tourism to develop, according to Mr. Tran Viet Trung, Vice Chairman of the Association for Supporting Economic Development in Vietnam's Mountainous Areas, it is necessary to educate awareness and improve understanding for tourism industry officials and employees, especially for the residential community about tourism in general and community tourism in particular, with special attention to environmental protection issues and the meaning of community tourism development.
At the same time, the mobilization of the local political system to participate in community tourism development is equally significant. The governing agencies in charge of tourism also need to regularly organize training and guidance for residents on how to do community tourism, to equip them with professional skills to serve tourists such as receptionist skill, room making, dinning table layout, etc. bartender, kitchen chefs, tour guide skills.
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| International visitors enjoy their real experience with beeswax painting on fabric, a traditional art of the H'Mong ethnic people. (Photo: Hoa Binh Newspaper) |
The local authorities need to have instructions and regulations for resident communities in tourism activities to avoid the uncontrollable Cultural Hybridization, the reckless cultural importation. We have to protect and preserve the social and humanistic environment, indigenous culture, protecting and preserving the natural environment, house and village sanitation, the food hygiene and safety.
“The development of community tourism should not be done massively or in a trendy way, but it requires methodical preparation, especially the work of understanding the customer market, advertising and service conditions. The state needs to reward and encourage the households and businesses to do well in community tourism and make positive contributions to society. At the same time, the exemplary success model in the province should be replicated. The activities for learning the experiences from other provinces should be organized for better performance of community tourism," Mr. Trung emphasized.
Community tourism is a type of tourism that is strongly trending today around the world, and across Vietnam. To develop community tourism properly, effectively and sustainably, it is significant for researching, studying, learning from domestic and foreign experiences. And the application and implementation of synchronous solutions are very important, contributing to promoting community tourism, a push-up for Vietnam tourism development.
