Agri-tourism development – inevitable trend
The enhancement of capitalising on values of the agricultural sector to create high-quality and competitive tourism products is an inevitable trend, said Nguyen Quy Phuong – Director of the Travel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
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Phuong said tourism and agriculture are two spearhead sectors that the Party and State prioritise in the country’s socio-economic development orientation. In the time ahead, the policies on new-style rural area building and high-quality agriculture development will be favourable conditions for tourism to develop.
Over the past time, a number of organisations and individuals in many localities have made use of agricultural factors to develop tourism. Many tourism products imbued with agricultural identities of regions from the north to the south have been created, meeting tourists’ demand.
He noted some outstanding tours, including the tour in the rice harvest period in Duong Lam of Hanoi; the tours of Tra Que vegetable village, Thanh Ha pottery village and Cu Lao Cham fishing village in Hoi An of central Quang Nam province; or trips to orchards and floating markets in Can Tho, Vinh Long and Tien Giang in the Mekong Delta.
At the workshop, many participants said agri-tourism brought economic and social benefits to many localities and businesses. Some localities and travel companies reported that the number of tourists engaging in agricultural activities has been on the rise. Meanwhile, agri-tourism activities have become a stable source of income for local farmers and businesses.
However, they noted, despite the considerable potential for agri-tourism, agri-tourism activities in Vietnam remain unprofessional. Local agricultural and cultural values haven’t been studied methodologically to create high-quality tourism products. Many agri-tourism models still mainly depend on the natural environment and haven’t been renewed, making them no long attractive to travellers.
Participants added to boost agri-tourism, the tourism and agriculture sectors need to coordinate to build a national programme on agri-tourism associated with building new-style rural areas. Relevant parties should also strengthen the connectivity among farmers, travel firms, local authorities, and tourism management agencies to introduce more high-quality and professional agri-tourism products.
