Many solutions to develop community tourism

Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee has just issued a plan to implement the Project on developing community tourism in Vietnam in the province, which provides many key solutions to promote the development of community tourism in the province. Discussing this plan, Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh - Director of the Department of Tourism said:

Ms Nguyen Thi Le Thanh - Director of Khanh Hoa Province Department of Tourism

On October 30, 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued the Project on developing community tourism in Vietnam. On that basis, Khanh Hoa Province’s Department of Tourism has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a plan to implement the Project on developing community tourism in Vietnam in the province. The goal is that by 2025, at recognized community tourism sites in the province, the values ​​and traditional cultural identities of ethnic groups will be basically preserved and promoted; 20% of community tourism sites have community activity houses; 20% of community tourism sites have traditional cultural and artistic teams (clubs) that operate regularly and with quality; at least 30% of tourism facility owners providing community tourism services are trained in tourism management; 20% of community tourism workers are trained and improved in their professional skills and service skills for tourists, of which at least 10% are female workers; each community tourism site has at least 1 person who can communicate in a foreign language.

At the same time, the plan also aims to strive for each district to build at least 1 model of a community tourism chain linked to new rural construction; traditional craft villages have OCOP products linked to community tourism development; 1 community tourism site applies information technology in tourism activities; towards the goal of building a database and standardizing digital maps of community tourism destinations nationwide... By 2030, basically develop synchronous community tourism products in major tourist centers, where there are large numbers of tourists.

Tourists participating in garlic harvesting in Ninh Van.

- To achieve the above goals, what key tasks and solutions will the province focus on, Madam?

- It can be seen that community tourism in the province is still weak and not commensurate with its potential. In the coming time, the provincial tourism sector will coordinate with localities, departments and relevant sectors to continue reviewing and implementing policies on community tourism development, encouraging people to participate in community tourism development in localities. At the same time, the Department of Tourism will coordinate with departments and branches to research and evaluate the current situation of community tourism development in the province to detect issues that need to be resolved in the work of restoring, preserving and promoting traditional cultural values; focus on training and educating cadres and workers; survey, evaluate and propose plans to support facilities and equipment for people to deploy and develop community tourism models. In particular, priority will be given to ethnic minorities and mountainous areas. The Department of Tourism will organize the assessment of community tourism destinations with tourist satisfaction levels reaching the level of good or higher according to the National Standards on community tourism.

The plan also proposes 7 groups of solutions to promote the development of community tourism in the province revolving around key issues such as strengthening integration in investment and using capital effectively to support community tourism development; developing long-term action plans and programs for infrastructure investment and technical facilities; promoting cultural values ​​and natural resources to build products; promoting propaganda, enhance promotion and expand the tourist market; planning locations and encourage investment in community tourism development; training and improving the quality of human resources; protecting resources and the environment to develop sustainable community tourism.

Traditional cultural activities of the Raglai people in Son Hiep commune, Khanh Son district.

- So where has the provincial tourism sector identified to develop community tourism, madam?

- Currently, localities in the province have surveyed and proposed many locations with potential for community tourism development. In the immediate future, the provincial tourism sector will coordinate with localities to support people in building community tourism locations with potential to welcome tourists such as: Van Thang agarwood craft village community tourism model (in Van Ninh district), Ninh Van commune community tourism model (in Ninh Hoa town), Bich Dam community tourism spots on Hon Tre island (in Vinh Nguyen ward, Nha Trang city), Hon Lay village community tourism spot (in Khanh Hiep commune, Khanh Vinh district); Hon Dung village community tourism spot (in Son Hiep commune, Khanh Son district)... We will guide and support the community to proactively build community tourism products, form eco-tourism and community tourism tours; support propaganda, introduction and effective promotion of community tourism products to domestic and international markets (Northeast Asian countries, Western Europe, Australia, America, etc.). At the same time, the provincial tourism sector will also coordinate with localities to support training to improve the quality of human resources at community tourism sites, thereby improving service quality and creating a good impression on tourists.

- In the long term, what are the province's expectations for the development of community tourism in the province, madam?

- Many experts assess that Khanh Hoa has great potential for community tourism. Therefore, the province wants to promote the development of community tourism to become a complete product, gradually building and developing the Khanh Hoa community tourism brand to participate deeply in the chain of cultural products and services of the region and the whole country. To do this, the development of community tourism in the province must be associated with the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic groups, including practical experiences in craft villages; community tourism must be associated with new rural construction, supporting access to resources and public services for rural areas, especially ethnic minority and mountainous areas... In the long term, the development of community tourism will not only diversify the province's tourism products, but also contribute to improving livelihoods and raising the living standards of people, especially in areas with a large number of ethnic minorities, mountainous and coastal areas.

- Thank you for joining us!

XUAN THANH

Translated by T.T