The 'Agricultural Community Tourism' discussion in Da Mi - Binh Thuan taking place in the last days of 2023 has become a "success" that helps this province both have the ability to conquer tourists and avoid "wrong mistakes" of many localities in exploiting tourism despite neglecting the environment.
The 'Agricultural Community Tourism' discussion in Da Mi - Binh Thuan taking place in the last days of 2023 has become a "success" that helps this province both have the ability to conquer tourists and avoid "wrong mistakes" of many localities in exploiting tourism despite neglecting the environment.
A magical reunion at Da Mi
The discussion on Agricultural Community Tourism within the framework of the Famtrip program to Ham Thuan Bac, took place when this mountainous district of Binh Thuan began to develop tourism in the early stages.
The program attracts 16 community tourism units in all regions of the country. Among them, there are examples from Thai Hai (Thai Nguyen) - The best village in the world (voted by the World Tourism Organization); Sin Suoi Ho (Lai Chau) - Typical community tourism village, awarded a certificate of merit by the government... Besides, about 100 travel agencies, press, training, and tourism experts also gathered in Da Nang. Mi Mi spent 3 days together "going to the forest and down to...the lake".
In particular, the discussion also noted the presence of Mr. Dato Sahariman Bin Hamdan - Chairman of the Malaysian Homestay Association. It is very rare for a famtrip to bring together so many participants.
Some delegates took commemorative photos on the day they returned to Da Mi to attend Famtrip and discuss.
Binh Thuan is famous for the most beautiful white sand beach in Vietnam, but few people know that just over an hour by car from Phan Thiet city is Da Mi commune with a cool and pleasant climate. Da Mi is located on the transitional ecosystem belt between the Di Linh plateau and the plain, so it has a charming landscape with mountains, lakes, rivers, streams, waterfalls... and a rich flora.
There is also a large hydroelectric lake system of over 3,000 hectares (Ham Thuan Lake is about 2,500 hectares, Da Mi Lake is about 700 hectares) with many large and small islands, which is potential for developing health tourism and easily conquering people. Love nature, love to explore.
In particular, the core area of Ham Thuan Bac is Da Mi, only about 200km from Ho Chi Minh City, 35km from Lam Dong. If you know how to exploit and make products, Da Mi can become a tourist area attracting 10 million people from Saigon plus the population in the Southeast provinces, before turning it into an area attracting international tourists. Tributes poured in from Phan Thiet.
Journalist Luu Trong Van said that this magical meeting took place at a "golden time", helping the locality to re-draft the "unstandardized drawings on the planning map", giving people time. Learn experiences from typical examples of community tourism development across the country.
Sunset on Da Mi Lake - Ham Thuan Bac. Photo: Quang Nhan.
Note the warnings
Mr. Bui The Nhan, Director of Binh Thuan Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that the province has a policy of promoting the development of agricultural-oriented community tourism in Ham Thuan Bac to complete the local tourism map. following the model "from the forest to the sea". Mr. Nhan also said that the planning map of Ham Thuan Bac area in general and Da Mi area in particular has been drafted and is in the review stage. This work of Binh Thuan is on the right path: planning - handling legal issues before guiding people for practical implementation.
"Previously, we only thought about the traffic belt but forgot the belt that protects our mind, the belt that protects our health," journalist Luu Trong Van affirmed that Da Mi has enough natural elements and the Advantageous location to carry out the mission of becoming that "belt to keep the mind".
However, has the region's tourism planning map solved some basic but most important questions: What is the tourism role of Ham Thuan Bac? Who are Ham Thuan Bac's target tourists and what are their needs? Journalist Luu Trong Van warns that "definite answers must be found to those questions, otherwise this region will not be able to develop and Ham Thuan Bac will lose its geographical and atmospheric connectivity." "important strengths and weaknesses as identified above".
Mr. Van gave an important insight: "Previously we only thought about the traffic belt but forgot the belt that protects our mind, the belt that protects our health." From there, Mr. Van suggested: Ham Thuan Bac in general and Da Mi in particular have enough natural factors and favorable locations to carry out their mission of becoming that "mind-keeping belt".
Peaceful scene of Ham Thuan Lake seen from an angle from Quan Am Pagoda.
According to Mr. Van: Saigon is suffocating, Saigon people need a place to breathe to think clearly, to keep their hearts healthy, and then be able to be creative. Therefore, Da Mi is a land that can "heal" and is a center of health. "Determining the right goals and creating products for the right purposes will help Da Mi prosper. Otherwise, we will turn this lake into a place where every corner has a beat," Mr. Van said.
Regarding the issue of maintaining the sustainability of this natural area and helping the planning of Ham Thuan Bac not to be "an elephant's head and a mouse's tail", Mr. Truong Hoang Phuong, tourism geography expert, author of Vietnam Tourism Map Nam, also issued a warning: If the planning around Ham Thuan Lake becomes urban-style residential areas, Da Mi will become like many other streets, and will lose the current precious forest road. .
Mr. Hoang Phuong frankly called the "resort city of Mui Ne" a pain in Binh Thuan's tourism development when it lost the vast coconut forests and ripped up the long white sand dunes to divide for private use as "private property." ”. He also mentioned that the "resortization" of Phan Thiet has pushed 10,000 fishermen out of their land, turning them into clusters of residents who have to choose boats to make their homes, without having their own toilets.
Mr. Phuong said that if tourists come to Ham Thuan, they will see the forest, not the city, so he earnestly calls for nature lovers who come to Ham Thuan Bac not to witness the pain of nature being destroyed. break. "Currently the planning is still on paper. I hope the unreasonable things will be redrawn like they have been drawn in many places," Mr. Phuong confided.
Mr. Dato Sahariman Bin Hamdan (in white hat) from Malaysia shared at the discussion.
In fact, tourism development inevitably impacts and more or less destroys the natural landscape. Therefore, after a 30-year journey in community tourism, Mr. Dato Sahariman Bin Hamdan from Malaysia has an important reminder: "When you have income from tourism, remember to return to investment to protect the ecosystem." environment". Mr. Dato affirmed that community tourism development must ensure economic equality for participants and the government's role is the most important.
Peaceful scene of Sin Suoi Ho village - Typical community tourism village awarded by the Government.
Mr. Hang A Xa from Sin Suoi Ho tourist village, Lai Chau also shared his experience after more than 20 years working in tourism: "I realize that products are important, but to have good products, you must have people." have good ethics, so at Sin Suoi Ho we focus on training to create people with good qualities." That's why when visitors come to this village, they can leave their car at the beginning of the village, go all day and return, the car will still be there. The goods at the market do not need a person to be on duty regularly. If this person is absent, the goods will not be there. There is another person who sells and collects money for him, Mr. Xa said. What Mr. Xa wants to convey is that let's make tourism start from making our village more beautiful, making the people in our community become better and more connected, and that beauty is not only valuable. tangible but something that visitors can easily feel.
Mr. Xa also revealed that community tourism is a process of unconditional investment and sacrifice. Therefore, if we only look at the immediate benefits, sooner or later that community will be broken.
According to: Kim Sen - Ho Chi Minh City Tourism