Vietnam has a lot of potential to develop community tourism , however, most of the recently built community tourism models have not been effective, the potential has not been exploited and promoted to its full potential.
Tourists experience community tourism model at Thieng Lieng island hamlet, Can Gio district (HCMC)
The above comments were made at the Workshop on “Empowering local communities through sustainable tourism”, which recently took place within the framework of the 18th Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo (ITE HCMC 2024) co-organized by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Asia- Pacific Regional Support Office of the United Nations Tourism Organization UN Tourism and the Asian Tourism Exchange Center (APTEC).
According to Ms. Chiaki Oya, Deputy Representative of the Asia-Pacific Support Office of the United Nations Tourism Organization (UNT), community-based tourism plays an important role in preserving culture and improving the livelihoods of local people. This is also the type of tourism that brings the most sustainable economic development benefits to local residents.
“Vietnam has great potential in terms of natural landscapes, history, indigenous cultures of ethnic groups, and rich regional culinary culture, which are the basis for the strong development of community tourism. This not only helps people protect ecological resources but also preserves and promotes unique local cultural features. For community tourism to develop sustainably, cooperation between stakeholders is a key factor,” Ms. Chiaki Oya affirmed.
Sharing experience in developing community-based tourism in Thailand, Mr. Natthawut Chaengkrachang - representative of the Department of Sustainable Tourism Management (DASTA) of Nan province (Thailand) said that “CBT Thailand” is used as an important tool for planning and evaluating the results of community-based tourism development in Thailand. This is a standard to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the community throughout the tourism development process. Based on that, the community and units are trained to be able to build capacity and promote the potential of the community effectively.
“In particular, “CBT Thailand” is used as a monitoring tool to prevent unwanted negative changes in the community when addressing tourism needs. Therefore, there is a need for an organization to develop designated community tourism areas and promote quality, standard tourism destinations for sustainable growth,” Mr. Natthawut Chaengkrachang suggested.
Dr. Duong Duc Minh, Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism and Economic Development Research (ITEDR), said that the world's tourism demand is changing towards establishing new values based on traditional cultural values, natural values and creative values. Community tourism is also an effective way to develop sustainable tourism and practice responsible tourism. To promote the development of community tourism, it is necessary to focus on the highlight of this type, which is the unique cultural experience for tourists. Daily culture is an important material that creates unique experiences for tourists.
According to tourism expert Duong Minh Binh, Chairman of the Board of Members of CBT Travel Company, most of the community tourism models built recently have not been effective, although Vietnam has a lot of potential to develop community tourism. Mr. Binh said that the homestay models built by the people today are still spontaneous, have not been organized, calculated and considered properly and have not gone into substance. The forms of organizing activities of this type of tourism are also limited to sightseeing and enjoying the environment. For the most part, they have not achieved the goal of raising awareness, educating the environment and feeling the uniqueness, the beauty and the goodness in the culture of the indigenous community.
“To meet the needs of tourists who like to live close to rural people, local people just do it, one family learns from another, one locality learns from another… without any guidance. Meanwhile, to build a quality community tourism product, creativity is needed, which is the subtle characteristic of signature tourism products,” Mr. Binh emphasized.
“In order to promote tourism in Ho Chi Minh City in general and Vietnam in particular, within the framework of the ITE HCMC 2024 Fair, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has organized for buyers and international press to participate in special community tour programs to experience local culture, history, cuisine... including a tour to experience the community tourism model at Thieng Lieng island hamlet in Thanh An commune, Can Gio district (Ho Chi Minh City) with activities such as cycling around the island, learning about the lives of local people with salt making, relaxing with foot bath therapy with herbal salt, enjoying culture through the melodies of traditional music... and directly participating in planting trees and afforestation”.
Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/de-du-lich-cong-dong-phat-trien-xung-tam-20240909150427624.htm
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