Developing community tourism from heritage

Potential from identity values

With 22 traditional occupations, 8 traditional craft villages, 16 national intangible cultural heritages, and 1 representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, along with 223 historical and cultural relics, Tay Ninh has rich cultural and tourism resources. Craft villages, festivals, and folk arts here are gradually becoming attractive destinations for domestic and foreign tourists.

When mentioning Tay Ninh, many people will immediately think about Trang Bang, a land famous for the traditional craft of making dew-wetted rice paper—recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage—a famous specialty, a cultural symbol, crystallizing the ingenuity and sophistication of the people here. In recent years, through the Trang Bang Rice Paper Culture and Tourism Week, this traditional craft has been and is becoming closer to tourists.

Mr. Le Van Hung makes fresh rice paper to serve tourists at a local destination

Mr. Le Van Hung (Loc Du quarter, Trang Bang ward), who has been making rice paper for more than 40 years in Trang Bang, said: “During the Culture and Tourism Week, the artisans are invited to perform rice paper making at the booths. Many tourists also want to experience it to understand more about this profession. Thanks to the development of tourism, the income of artisans has improved.” Currently, in addition to making rice paper every day, on weekends, Mr. Hung is also invited to perform the art of making rice paper at some local tourist destinations.

Along with rice paper making, the profession of making incense, weaving mats, chili salt, the art of Chhay-dam drum dance, the Linh Son Thanh Mau Festival at Ba Den mountain, the Lam Chay Festival, etc., are gradually awakened, becoming valuable products for the development of community tourism. Deputy Head of Tan Xuan Communal House Management Board (Tam Vu Commune) Le Quang Trung said that the Lam Chay Festival has been maintained and developed for hundreds of years, receiving the attention and participation of tourists from near and far, as well as overseas Vietnamese and foreign tourists. The wish of those who are preserving the festival like Mr. Trung is nothing other than that the festival will be known by more and more tourists, because this is the pride of the local people.

With a rich heritage treasure, many traditional craft villages and cultural features typical of the Southern region, Tay Ninh has all the conditions to develop community tourism, a type of tourism in which local people are the main entities, contributing to preserving heritage and promoting tourism development and the local economy.

Efforts to awaken the potential

Tourists visit Chot Mat Tower Relic (Photo: Ngoc Dieu)

Despite its great potential, community tourism in Tay Ninh is still in its infancy. Many destinations are still spontaneous, tourism infrastructure and support services are not really complete, while the tourism community lacks skills and experience. That requires stronger cooperation from management agencies, associations and businesses so that the province's heritage values ​​can truly become viable tourism products.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tay Ninh has taken many specific steps in developing community tourism associated with heritage. Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Tan Quoc said that Tay Ninh has a rich heritage treasure, but for those values ​​to become attractive tourism products, many factors need to be synchronized: infrastructure, community skills and the connection between the State, businesses and people.

In recent times, the department has implemented many practical activities to gradually build and develop community tourism. In particular, the development of rural tourism products associated with the OCOP program has been focused on, creating typical local products, both serving the needs of experience and opening up job opportunities for people. In addition, the department also organizes survey trips, connecting travel businesses with craft villages, relics, and specialty production facilities to form tours to visit and experience clearly the cultural life of the locals.

Tay Ninh Tourism Association plays an important role, being a "bridge" between businesses, communities and the government. Chairman of the Provincial Tourism Association Ngo Tran Ngoc Quoc shared, “The Tay Ninh Tourism Association is not only an organization connecting businesses but also a bridge connecting people, culture and tourists, so that each tourism product not only has economic value but also carries the soul of the land and people of Tay Ninh.” From that orientation, the Association organizes many famtrip programs, dialogues, and seminars in craft villages and ecological areas for businesses to meet and cooperate with people. Many heritage elements have been incorporated into tourism products, from Chhay-dam dance performances and Southern amateur music to vegetarian cuisine. All are exploited in a respectful and creative way.

The Association also focuses on training community tourism skills for people, from explaining, communicating, ensuring food safety to digital transformation in promotion and business. Along with that, the model of One Village One Tourism Product is being formed, linking heritage with agriculture, ecology and cuisine.

Thanks to those synchronous efforts, the image of Tay Ninh community tourism is gradually beautify, and people's awareness is also gradually changing.

Orientation for a sustainable journey

The Lam Chay Festival attracts a large number of visitors from near and far (Photo: Khanh Duy)

Tay Ninh's cultural heritage is very rich and has great potential for tourism development. According to the province's general policy and orientation, tourism will become a key economic sector. Therefore, developing community tourism on the basis of preserving and developing cultural heritage is a correct direction when community tourism is a trend. This will not only bring economic and social benefits but also help exploit, promote, introduce and contribute to preserving the natural and cultural resources of local communities and ethnic groups.

However, to do that, there needs to be coordination and association with organizations, individuals and tourism businesses to attract investment, call for socialization, and encourage local communities to invest in developing community tourism, joining hands to build community tourism products in the direction of perfection and improving service capacity. In addition, tourism promotion to improve the competitiveness and brand of community tourism in the locality also needs to be paid attention to.

Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Tan Quoc affirmed, "The cultural heritage of the local community is the foundation for developing community tourism; community tourism is the driving force for heritage to be promoted. Therefore, there needs to be joint efforts; each person is a "cultural ambassador," and each business is a "companion," together with the State to develop community tourism associated with preserving, maintaining, and promoting the value of local heritage.

According to Chairman of the Provincial Tourism Association Ngo Tran Ngoc Quoc, developing community tourism associated with heritage is both an economic task and a cultural mission. Therefore, the Association has identified three key tasks in the coming time: developing community tourism according to the model of "living with heritage"; building Tay Ninh into "the leading green and spiritual destination in the South" and making indigenous cultural elements, craft villages, vegetarian cuisine and organic agriculture characteristic materials in all tourism products.

With the determination, efforts and cooperation of the people, businesses, and authorities, the province's community tourism will affirm its position in the hearts of local, domestic and foreign tourists in the not-too-distant future./.

By Staffs - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/phat-trien-du-lich-cong-dong-tu-di-san-a205295.html