Promoting sustainable community tourism development

Tourists experience games at Vam Ho Bird Sanctuary Eco-tourism Area (Ba Tri district).

Exploiting local potential and strengths

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, after 2 years of implementing Plan No. 1729/KH-UBND dated March 27, 2023 of the Provincial People's Committee on developing community tourism in the province by 2030, the province and localities have paid attention to mobilizing capital sources to invest in social infrastructure or integrate into programs, projects, plans for local economic development, prioritizing investment, upgrading, expanding, and building new inter-hamlet and inter-commune roads to contribute to serving people's needs and tourism development.

Regarding planning, the orientation of the road traffic system, inland waterways, passenger ports/port clusters... has been integrated into the Provincial Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050. This is an important legal basis for implementing investment, inviting domestic and foreign investors to participate in investing in tourism projects, helping to facilitate travel, trade and tourism, forming passenger ports to pick up and drop off tourists, exploiting the advantages of the river element of Ben Tre province in tourism development, including community tourism.

In addition, districts and cities in the province have focused on mobilizing resources to invest in infrastructure systems serving people's lives in combination with serving green tourism. Organize the "Beautiful Gate - Green Fence" contest in Cho Lach district; implement on 61 main roads in Chau Thanh district with a length of 44,350m to build a "Flower Route" to create a highlight for visitors; organize waste collection and treatment to ensure a green, clean environment in public places and to each household. Mobilize and encourage organizations, individuals and communities to participate in investing, upgrading and building new technical facilities to serve tourists, focusing on using natural materials with local characteristics and being environmentally friendly.

The province has consolidated and developed the community tourism model associated with activities to experience the daily life and production of local people, cooperative models, cooperative groups; visiting fruit gardens, traditional occupations... in Chau Thanh, Cho Lach districts and Ben Tre city. Receiving and coordinating with foreign-funded projects has contributed to improving the capacity and quality of community tourism activities in Binh Dai, Ba Tri districts, Ben Tre city, Mo Cay Nam. From there, it has been expanded and developed throughout the province.

Development orientation

According to Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Be Muoi, in order for community tourism activities in the province to develop in the right direction, synchronously, professionally, ensuring benefits and increasing income for the community participating in tourism activities, the province sets a goal that by 2025, each district and city will strive to build at least 1 community tourism model for replication. In the immediate future, focus on consolidating, building and basically forming at least 3 community tourism models in Binh Dai, Ba Tri, Cho Lach districts and Ben Tre city. Strive to have at least 5 OCOP tourism products meeting 3-5 star standards. At least 50% of business owners and community tourism businesses are trained in management skills; 60% of workers participating in community tourism activities are trained and improved in professional skills and customer service skills.

To achieve the above goals, the province will continue to promote, raise awareness and thinking about community tourism development; perfect policies and mechanisms; train, coach and foster human resources for community tourism development; develop infrastructure and technical facilities to serve tourism development.

Focus on developing products and community tourism routes. Consolidate and develop community tourism models associated with activities to experience the daily life and production of local people, cooperative models, cooperative groups; visit fruit gardens, traditional occupations... in Chau Thanh, Cho Lach districts and Ben Tre city. Develop community tourism associated with visiting historical and cultural relics; famous people, types of marine tourism, aquaculture cooperatives, salt-making villages, mangrove ecological tourism, visiting wind power projects, promoting the values ​​of good and unique traditional cultural festivals... in Giong Trom, Mo Cay Bac, Mo Cay Nam, Ba Tri, Binh Dai and Thanh Phu districts.

Strengthening linkages in building and developing tourism products and routes associated with local, regional and area communities. Focusing on developing existing tourism routes and points, focusing on expanding linkages between community tourism routes and points associated with tourism routes from rivers to the sea, tourism routes to the source, experiential tourism routes... Strengthening linkages, promotion and advertising of community tourism.

“Implementing the Prime Minister's Official Dispatch No. 34/CD-TTg dated April 10, 2025 on promoting tourism development, ensuring double-digit economic growth in the province, the province sets the goal that by 2025, tourism will become an important economic sector; one of the leading ecological and cultural experience destinations in the Mekong Delta for international visitors, and a leading short-term resort destination in the region for domestic visitors. Cho Lach Cultural Tourism Village has been completed and put into effective operation. Striving to welcome at least 2.3 - 3 million visitors, of which international visitors account for 40 - 45%, maintaining an average growth rate of tourists to the province from 12 - 15%/year. Total revenue from tourists will reach 2,300 - 3,200 billion VND, with an average growth rate of 22 - 25%/year”.

(Vice Chairwoman of Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Be Muoi)

Article and photos: Phuong Thao

Source: https://baodongkhoi.vn/day-manh-phat-trien-du-lich-cong-dong-ben-vung-05052025-a146125.html