Community tourism - OCOP product with strengths in Nghe An
(Baonghean) - Currently, community tourism is being given special attention by mountainous districts in Nghe An such as Con Cuong, Tan Ky, Quy Chau... and attracting many domestic and foreign tourists.
"HOMESTAY" INTERESTING EXPERIENCE
Coming to Nua village, Yen Khe commune (Con Cuong) on a day at the end of September, despite the rain, the members of the community tourism group here served with an open and cheerful attitude. Ms. Lo Thi Hoa - Head of the community tourism group, excitedly said that throughout the summer until now, there are still tourists coming to the village.
Therefore, we have to assign members of the group to find fresh food to prepare dishes for guests. Community tourism is like that, when there are guests, the women in the group have a responsibility, each person has a hand, the purpose is to serve guests best, with the goal of "delicious, nutritious, cheap" to satisfy tourists when coming to Con Cuong.
In the village, there are currently 3 Homestays sponsored by the JICA project (Japan) since 2011, for receiving tourists. Each house can accommodate 30-40 guests staying overnight.
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| Tourists experience Homestay tourism and explore Giang River in Con Cuong. Photo courtesy of Ba Hau |
Ms. Hoa's family homestay is designed as a traditional wooden stilt house of the Thai people. The lower floor is tiled, arranged with tables and chairs and displaying some typical Thai tools of work and daily life; the upper floor is covered with lacquered wood, arranged with many rooms for resting.
Each room is furnished with clean mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, etc. The garden area around the house is planted with green vegetables and many kinds of fruit trees, the green fence is made of eye-catching plum trees. Sanitation facilities, water supply, etc. are built spaciously, solidly, cleanly, scientifically arranged, suitable for community tourism.
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| The stilt houses provide accommodation and meals for tourists. Photo: Xuan Hoang |
Ms. Hoa said: Every time a guest arrives, the community tourism service group proactively arranges accommodation for the guest at one of the three homestays in the village, and also mobilizes members to prepare Thai dishes.
Normally, when there are no visitors, the households go to the fields to produce, but when tourists come to the village, they are ready to welcome them with a cheerful, attentive, open attitude, with unique costumes and artistic performances that carry the identity of the Thai people here.
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| Orange gardens laden with fruit are a tourist highlight in homestay tourism in Con Cuong. Photo courtesy |
In particular, tourists can enjoy dishes prepared on the spot, using fresh food raised and grown by the local people such as: black pigs, free-range chickens, goats, wild vegetables, fruits picked right in the garden, rice wine produced by the locals, etc. Therefore, the number of tourists coming to Nua village community tourism is increasing.
Ms. Hoa is proud: Every year, the Nua village community tourism group welcomes an average of 3,000 domestic and foreign visitors. Since then, the members of the community tourism group have jobs all year round, with an average income of 4 million VND/person/month.
Con Cuong district also has two community tourism villages under construction, Khe Ran village, Bong Khe commune and Lang Xieng village, Mon Son commune. The two villages have selected many households that are qualified to receive tourists for overnight stays.
Over the years, the locals here have learned experience in welcoming tourists, so they have attracted a certain number of visitors every year.
"Con Cuong is a locality with potential to develop community tourism, because in the district there are many eco-tourism spots, along with ethnic minorities who preserve their unique cultural identities, folk songs, musical instruments, cuisine... so tourists coming here can freely explore and experience".
Nghe An also has a number of community tourism spots that attract domestic and foreign tourists. Among them, we must mention the community tourism village of Thai Minh hamlet 4, Tien Ky commune (Tan Ky) and Hoa Tien village of Chau Tien commune (Quy Chau)...
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| Tourists experience the brocade weaving craft village of Hoa Tien (Quy Chau). Photo courtesy |
Visitors coming here cannot help but stop by the looms of Thai women with their nimble hands, "breathing life" into each "enchanting" brocade with brilliant colors and outstanding patterns, and enjoy unique performances, immersing themselves in traditional folk games of the Thai people.
"Although the community tourism village has just been built, the villagers have welcomed a number of domestic and foreign tourists. Coming here, tourists can enjoy traditional dishes such as grilled fish, grilled chicken, roasted pork, bamboo rice, rice balls, bamboo shoots, buffalo, beef... The village has also selected 3 families with enough conditions to welcome guests to stay overnight. Recently, the State has provided each household with 30 sets of bedding, pillows and mattresses to serve the guests."
Although it has only been developed in recent years, community tourism is classified by the tourism and agricultural sectors as a typical rural product with potential that can develop further if policies are exploited and the right approach is taken.
CHALLENGE OF CHANGE
The reality at community tourism sites in Con Cuong, Tan Ky, Quy Chau… shows that ethnic minorities have somewhat become familiar with tourism services, basically satisfying visitors. However, to better meet the needs of tourists, community tourism sites need to overcome some shortcomings.
According to Ms. Lo Thi Hoa - Head of the Nua village community tourism group, the village currently has only 3 Homestays to welcome guests, which is not enough, because the number of guests is increasing. However, it is very difficult to have more Homestays, because it requires investment to build houses, build sanitation facilities, electricity, water, etc. while the economic conditions of households are still limited.
Furthermore, the local food supply has not been able to meet the demand of tourists, especially during the peak tourist season, because most households in the village are not aware of community tourism, so they have not paid attention to promoting livestock farming or growing clean vegetables in their gardens. The village has not yet arranged a parking lot, so during the tourist season, there is a lack of parking space for cars.
Ms. Lao Thi Hai - Head of the Brocade Weaving Group at the community tourism site of Thai Minh Hamlet 4, Tien Ky Commune (Tan Ky) said that in order for the community tourism site to proactively serve visitors, it is hoped that the local government needs to invest in purchasing a set of gongs, speakers, amplifiers, bamboo dancing sets, etc. for the village to proactively perform when there are visitors. The transportation system also needs to be upgraded and have signs for easy access for visitors. Families chosen as accommodation for visitors need to invest in a system of solid, spacious, and clean kitchens and toilets.
Nghe An community tourism is a product that can easily attract and promote to international tourists if invested in the right direction. Therefore, in order for community tourism spots to attract visitors, especially overnight visitors, local authorities at all levels and people need to exploit the OCOP program to build useful projects, create jobs, and increase income for people through tourism services right in their villages and families.
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