Developing a community tourism model in a professional, unique and sustainable direction in An Giang

On December 2, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in collaboration with the Department of Tourism of An Giang province organized a workshop on sustainable community tourism development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai and Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism of An Giang province Nguyen Trung Thanh chaired the workshop.

This is a task under the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, aiming to support people in improving their livelihoods through tourism development based on the province's unique cultural and natural resources.

Attending the workshop were representatives of localities, An Giang Provincial Tourism Association, universities, tourism businesses, experts in the tourism field, local people doing tourism business...

Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai delivered the opening speech at the Workshop. Photo: TITC

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai said that after two days of field surveys in An Giang , the working group recognized many potentials, but there are still limitations in developing community tourism. Therefore, today's workshop aims to discuss and find practical solutions so that An Giang people, especially Cham and Khmer people, can develop community tourism sustainably, contributing to improving the lives of the people.

An Giang has an important strategic position, being the upstream province of the Mekong River and the gateway to the sea. The province possesses rich resources for developing community tourism, with a unique cultural exchange between the Cham, Khmer and Kinh people, along with unique landscapes such as Cam Mountain, Sam Mountain, Tra Su Melaleuca Forest or traditional craft villages and indigenous cuisine.

Following the world trend, tourism is shifting strongly to green tourism, responsible tourism, for the community. The United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) identifies community tourism as a humane and effective model, in which people are creative subjects, indigenous culture is preserved, and sustainable values ​​are spread.

In Vietnam, the Government also affirms that community tourism is a sustainable direction for ethnic minority areas. People not only directly benefit from tourism but also preserve culture and landscape.

Overview of the Workshop. Photo: TITC

However, the Deputy Director also pointed out some limitations and shortcomings such as the community tourism model is still spontaneous, lacks planning and typical products, the ability to provide services is limited, and the infrastructure still has many shortcomings.

Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai emphasized: “Community tourism is only successful when the people are the real subjects. Tourists come to the community to live together - work together - eat together, and the people themselves will be the ones to tell the cultural story of their homeland.”

The leaders of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration hope that the Workshop will propose suitable and feasible solutions to develop community tourism in An Giang to its full potential. To do that, it is necessary to help people understand the benefits of community tourism for local development; thereby guiding how to implement community tourism, especially effectively exploiting digital media channels for promotion; and support from local authorities in building infrastructure, preserving, promoting and training tourism human resources.

Deputy Director of An Giang Provincial Department of Tourism Nguyen Trung Thanh delivered a welcome speech at the Workshop. Photo: TITC

Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism of An Giang province Nguyen Trung Thanh said that An Giang is a locality rich in cultural traditions, where the Cham and Khmer ethnic communities have lived for a long time, creating a rich and colorful cultural heritage system. The values ​​of architecture, festivals, cuisine, traditional crafts, etc. not only contribute to the unique cultural identity of the province, but are also an important resource for developing community tourism in a sustainable direction, associated with the goal of improving people's lives and developing the economy - society.

The workshop was organized with the important purpose of raising awareness of sustainable community tourism development for ethnic minority and mountainous areas; introducing and orienting the development of suitable pilot models; at the same time creating a forum to exchange experiences and suggest solutions to effectively implement community tourism activities in the coming time. This is the basis for continuing to perfect the development model associated with cultural preservation, environmental protection and ensuring stable and long-term livelihoods for the people.

An Giang province pledges to continue to closely coordinate with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, departments, sectors, businesses and communities in implementing support programs and providing guidance on building sustainable community tourism models; at the same time, focusing on preserving the traditional cultural identity of the Cham and Khmer people; enhancing community capacity and preserving the ecological environment.

Head of the Tourism Promotion Department, An Giang Province Center for Promotion, Investment, Trade and Tourism Dang Duc Phong updates information on community tourism development in the locality. Photo: TITC

At the workshop, Head of the Tourism Promotion Department, An Giang Province Center for Promotion, Investment, Trade and Tourism Dang Duc Phong informed that in recent years, community tourism in the province has had significant developments, gradually affirming its role as one of the important product types in the province's tourism product structure. Many destinations have initially made their mark, including Chau Phong Cham village, Da Phuoc Cham village, My Hoa Hung commune, That Son area with the Khmer ethnic community in Tri Ton - Tinh Bien, Tra Su cajuput forest... and community-based homestay models in many localities. In addition, tourism products with indigenous experiences such as Cham and Khmer cuisine, traditional handicraft villages, religious festivals, visiting wetland ecological models, trekking tourism, discovery and experience... have added depth to the tourism value chain and contributed to attracting tourists to community tourism in An Giang. For community tourism to truly become a driving force for sustainable development, the province needs to continue to improve planning, diversify products, promote digital transformation, strengthen connections and especially enhance the role of the community as a subject at the destination.

Ms. Tu Anh Nguyet - Department of Tourism of An Giang province shares about the community tourism model. Photo: TITC

According to Ms. Tu Anh Nguyet - Department of Tourism of An Giang province, in order to build an effective and sustainable community tourism development model, bringing practical benefits to the community, it is necessary to guide households on basic and necessary skills in community tourism activities so that people can proactively build and develop this model, not only enhancing the cultural and tourism experience for tourists, but also ensuring livelihoods for local people.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Cuong - Lecturer of the Faculty of Tourism Management and International Languages, Hanoi University of Culture presented a paper on the orientation of preserving and exploiting traditional architecture in tourism development. Photo: TITC

Regarding the preservation and exploitation of traditional architecture in tourism development, Dr. Nguyen Anh Cuong - Lecturer of the Faculty of Tourism Management and International Languages, Hanoi University of Culture, said that it is necessary to preserve the original - promote the living value of traditional architecture, at the same time linking the preservation of cultural heritage with sustainable tourism exploitation; applying science and technology in preservation and promotion; promoting the role of the community and educating awareness. The right orientation, linking preservation with community livelihoods and tourism experiences will help traditional architectural works not only "live" in museums, but continue to "live" in contemporary life, becoming a source of inspiration, pride and strong attraction for Vietnam tourism in the future.

Dr. Vu Thi Uyen - Lecturer of the Faculty of Tourism Management and International Languages, Hanoi University of Culture presented on the role of living heritage and cultural life in building a tourism product chain. Photo: TITC

Regarding the role of living heritage and cultural life in building tourism product chains, according to Dr. Vu Thi Uyen - Lecturer of the Faculty of Tourism Management and International Languages, Hanoi University of Culture, cultural heritage creates motivation for tourism, at the same time increases the uniqueness and identity of community tourism activities, bringing attractive stories and diverse experiences to tourists. It can be said that living heritage and cultural life of local residents are the resources to enhance the value of destinations, contributing to connecting tourists with local culture, promoting the sustainable development of tourism associated with the conservation and promotion of heritage values.

Delegates contribute their opinions at the Workshop. Photo: TITC

Opinions at the workshop focused on clarifying the potential and existing problems in community tourism development in An Giang. Many delegates emphasized the need to perfect specific products, improve service quality, create better quality experience spaces and exploit local cultural values ​​more deeply. Promoting, especially in the digital environment, was also identified as an urgent requirement for community products to reach more people and tourists.

In addition, delegates proposed to strengthen guidance for people on how to organize homestays, create menus, create cultural and traditional craft experiences, as well as communication and service skills for tourists. These discussions showed a high consensus in building An Giang community tourism in a more professional, unique and sustainable direction.

Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai delivered the concluding remarks at the Workshop. Photo: TITC

Concluding the workshop, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai highly appreciated the opinions and suggestions of delegates and experts, which accurately reflected the characteristics and needs of community tourism development in the province and solutions for sustainable tourism development in An Giang.

The Deputy Director emphasized that community tourism must put people at the center. People are both the subjects preserving cultural identity and the ones directly involved in creating experiences for tourists. Therefore, changing the mindset from spontaneous development to systematic and organized tourism is a prerequisite. In particular, environmental sanitation, landscape preservation, and preservation of local architecture and culture are the foundation for improving service quality.

Developing community tourism does not stop at just “displaying” culture, but must create conditions for tourists to experience and interact with local life, from cuisine, traditional crafts to cultural activities. Models such as weekend rural markets, culinary experience spots or homestays associated with local identity are considered effective directions, both enhancing the experience for tourists and creating livelihoods for local people.

The leaders of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration also highly appreciate the role of the core team in the community - those who are able to lead, connect and coordinate activities between households, creating unity in the way of doing tourism. In addition, the support of local authorities and businesses in improving capacity, standardizing services, digital transformation and promotion are also important factors to help the community develop sustainably.

For An Giang community tourism to truly become a driving force for sustainable development, it is necessary to focus on standardizing accommodation, culinary, and cultural experience services; preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Cham and Khmer ethnic groups; promoting regional connectivity, digital transformation, and communication and promotion; and at the same time, improving community capacity and the sense of responsibility of tourism entities.

With the support of the government, businesses and the community, Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai hopes that An Giang will develop community tourism models in a professional, unique and sustainable manner; contributing to improving people's lives, while increasing the attractiveness of destinations on the regional tourism map.

Leaders and delegates take souvenir photos. Photo: TITC

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/phat-trien-mo-hinh-du-lich-cong-dong-theo-huong-chuyen-nghiep-giau-ban-sac-va-ben-vung-tai-an-giang-20251203104526552.htm