Quang Binh is a locality in the central region, rich in tourism resources. In addition to the long coastline and famous landscapes, the western part of the province also has majestic natural landscapes, under the canopy of Truong Son Forest and along the legendary Ho Chi Minh road system. This is a great potential for Quang Binh to develop community-based tourism, in association with improving the lives of ethnic minorities.
Tourists participate in the Ma Coong drumming festival, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province.
Among the more than 40 tourism products that the locality is exploiting, many cultural ones in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, have initially attracted tourists.
Visiting Quang Binh, tourists will have a chance to explore pristine caves and landscapes and learn about the culture of the very small Bru-Van Kieu and Ruc ethnic minority groups.
According to the Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Ho An Phong, the locality is home to two groups of Bru-Van Kieu and Chut. Each group has its unique cultural value. These cultural values, together with natural resources, play a crucial role in socio-economic development in general and tourism development.
Tours to historical sites and experiencing the culture of ethnic minorities on the legendary Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh Trail, are also typical tourism products of Quang Binh.
Tours to historical sites and experiencing the culture of ethnic minorities on the legendary Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh Trail, are also typical tourism products of Quang Binh
Several unique cultural festivals, recognised as national intangible cultural heritages, have become cultural and tourist events, attracting the attention of tourists.
Last June, the provincial Party Committee issued a resolution on socio-economic development and preserving cultural identity, security and order, in ethnic minority and mountainous areas during 2022 – 2025, with a vision to 2030.
Under the document, the locality will focus on developing tourism products, providing an insight into local cultural history and those related to festival activities and folk art culture of the locality, and forming community cultural tourist destinations.
Recently, the provincial Department of Tourism organised a programme to survey tourism products in villages with majestic natural landscapes, and ethnic minority areas that still retain many unique cultural values, to sketch out plans and measures to develop sustainable tourism development, associated with preserving and upholding local traditional cultural values.
According to Tran Xuan Cuong, Director of the travel company Netin, to develop sustainable tourism in ethnic minority areas, it must rely on natural resources and communities.
In recent years, Netin has cooperated with local authorities and residents, to protect and sustainably exploit tourism resources, based on respecting nature and protecting the environment, he said.
Villagers engage in tourism activities by providing local products, and performing traditional musical instruments serving visitors, while the firm opens training courses instructing locals on how to cook and present dishes and other relevant skills, Cuong said.
The fair sharing of benefits between businesses and local communities will encourage people to participate in the chain of sustainable tourism activities, he added.
It can be said that the community-based tourism development in ethnic minority areas helps diversify products and services in the sector, for the central province of Quang Binh, contributing to raising livelihoods and improving incomes for locals in disadvantaged areas.
Huong Giang - Translated by NDO
