When fishermen change professions

Many fishermen along the coast of Quang Ngai are shifting from fishing to community-based tourism, reducing pressure on inshore fishing and opening up new development opportunities for the locality.

Finding new livelihoods from coastal tourism .

Be Island (An Binh Island), part of the Ly Son Special Economic Zone ( Quang Ngai province ), was once a place where people mainly lived off fishing and growing onions and garlic. However, in recent years, fishing has become increasingly unstable, and onion and garlic crops have consistently failed due to a lack of irrigation water. Faced with these difficulties, many households have begun to look towards a new direction: tourism.

Mr. Bui Minh, who was born and raised on Be Island, made a living as a coastal fisherman for many years. As the number of tourists visiting the island increased, he decided to renovate his family's house to turn it into a homestay.

Fisherman Bui Minh (far left) has completely switched to working in tourism. Photo: VH

"I think I already have land, a house, and beautiful natural scenery. If I know how to utilize them, I can have a stable source of income and not be completely dependent on the sea anymore," Minh shared.

Thanks to preferential loans from the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction giai đoạn 2021 - 2025, he received over 80 million VND to repair his house, invest in a homestay with 8 rooms, and add motorbike rental services.

According to Minh, compared to fishing or farming, which are dependent on the weather, tourism provides a more stable source of income. During holidays, weekends, or the peak summer season, homestays are usually fully booked.

Many fishermen in Ly Son combine their work with tourism services such as snorkeling and tour guiding to earn extra income. Photo: VH

Minh is not alone; many other fishermen in Ly Son have also started participating in service activities such as transporting tourists, guiding them through island experiences, or serving food and drinks.

After attending tourism training courses, Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Cong Vu invested in electric vehicles to transport tourists and also work as tour guides for visitors exploring the island.

"Previously, I was only familiar with the fishing industry, so I thought it would be difficult to work in tourism. After learning more, I learned how to communicate with guests and how to provide more professional service. Now, many guests return and recommend the island to their friends," Vu recounted.

From being accustomed to rowing boats and casting nets, many fishermen in Ly Son have gradually adapted to the tourism service environment. Many see this as a long-term path to a stable life.

Preserving the fishing industry in the context of tourism development.

Not only in Ly Son, but the model of community-based tourism linked to the lives of fishermen is also developing in Go Co village, Sa Huynh ward.

This coastal village has over 70 households, with about 60% making a living from fishing. In recent years, many households have invested in fishing boats to serve tourists along the coast and renovated their houses to accommodate overnight guests.

Visitors to Go Co not only come to admire the sea but also to experience the daily activities of the coastal residents such as weaving nets, removing fish from the nets, listening to traditional folk songs, or participating in folk games.

Tourism provides a new source of livelihood for fishermen along the coast of Quang Ngai. Photo: VH

Fisherman Luong Song has been involved in the fishing industry for many years. Now, in addition to fishing in coastal waters, he is also involved in community tourism.

"Working in tourism has made my life more stable. I get to meet many people, so I feel happier and more energetic than before," Mr. Song shared.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Thu Thuy, Director of the Go Co Village Community Tourism Cooperative, the special thing about this model is that the people still maintain their traditional fishing occupation alongside tourism.

"We don't want tourism to erode the identity of our fishing village. The goal is to both generate income for the people and preserve the local culture and traditional crafts," Ms. Thuy shared.

According to coastal localities, years of experience working with the sea have become an advantage for fishermen to develop experiential tourism such as fishing, scuba diving, seafood processing, or exploring the life of fishing villages.

However, the transition to other occupations still faces many difficulties. Most tourism models are small-scale and spontaneous. Many fishermen lack investment capital, tourism skills, marketing skills, or connections with travel agencies.

Furthermore, the inconsistent number of tourists makes many people hesitant to fully transition into the tourism industry.

Many fishermen in Ly Son have gradually adapted to the tourism service environment. Photo: VH

According to the leaders of the Ly Son Special Economic Zone, for the job transformation to be sustainable and effective, it is necessary to have additional mechanisms to support preferential credit, tourism skills training, support for developing unique products, and connecting tours and routes with travel businesses.

In recent years, Quang Ngai province has also implemented many policies to support fishermen in changing occupations and restructuring their fishing fleet. Notably, Resolution No. 39 of the Quang Ngai Provincial People's Council stipulates policies to support the conversion of occupations and the decommissioning of fishing vessels that are no longer needed for fishing.

Accordingly, ship owners will receive financial support for decommissioning and vocational training to transition to new skills after ceasing fishing operations.

However, for fishermen to truly make a living from tourism and remain committed to this new profession in the long term, more comprehensive policies tailored to the specific characteristics of coastal residents are still needed. With the right support, coastal fishing villages will not only become attractive destinations but also create sustainable livelihoods for the local community.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/khi-ngu-dan-doi-nghe-d814369.html