Traditional handicrafts imbued with national identity such as silver carving, blacksmithing, brocade weaving, herbal bath services, and traditional herbal cultivation and processing are also unique attractions of Nam Dam. However, as tourism develops, many traditional cultural values are at risk of being lost.
Table 3.9: Outstanding traditional cultural values of Nam Dam
Level of conservation
Cultural value
Still holding | Risk fade away | Lost | |
Structure of rammed earth house | X | ||
Traditional art of the Dao people (melody) folk songs, traditional folk songs such as antiphonal singing, love songs, wedding songs...) | X | ||
Traditional festivals (Cap sac, new rice offering, fishing festival, linen weaving ...) | X | ||
Traditional occupations: silver carving, blacksmithing, brocade weaving, linen weaving... | X | ||
Traditional costumes and language of the Dao people | X | ||
Traditional dishes, corn wine... | X | ||
Growing and processing traditional herbs of the Dao people | X | ||
Folk games (stick pushing, boat racing, tug of war, blindfolded pig catching...) | X |
Maybe you are interested!
-
Group of Solutions for Preserving and Promoting Traditional Cultural Values -
The impact of foreign culture on the business activities of Vietnamese enterprises and the direction of absorbing international cultural values combined with traditional values to enhance competitiveness in the integration period - 13 -
Promoting traditional family values in building cultural families in the Red River Delta today - 2 -
Perfecting the Institution of Family Work to Effectively Promote Traditional Family Values in Building Cultural Families in the Delta Region -
Promoting the Role of the School's Youth Union and Student Association in Educating Students on Traditional Cultural and Spiritual Values
Source: Compiled from the author's field survey results
c. Environmental protection
Along with community tourism, many efforts to protect the environment have also been made. During the project period (2012-2014), Caritas supported 100% of the operating costs for collection and cleaning at the facilities. After the project ended, this amount was collected from homestay households at a fee of 9,000 VND/guest, contributing to the Community Development Fund managed by the Community Tourism Management Board. The local government coordinated with the people to implement the fuel conversion project through investment plans for livestock farming models associated with the construction and installation of Biogas tanks and improved stoves to support people with environmentally friendly cooking fuels. In addition, the commune government regularly organizes propaganda and mobilization for environmental protection for homestay households, tourists and the local community. The government successfully mobilized 2 households in Nam Dam village to donate 800m2 of land to build a common landfill. Environmental protection activities are also carried out through local movement activities. In addition, homestay households are also guided and supported by Caritas and PanNature to build clean toilets and plan the system.
Livestock and poultry farms are kept far away from the garden to maintain environmental hygiene. This is also a content of the Panhou declaration that homestay households must comply with when participating in homestay tourism.
Although some results have been achieved, environmental pollution is emerging as a crucial issue in community tourism in Nam Dam. The entire Quan Ba district has no waste treatment plant, wastewater and especially domestic wastewater from households. The district only has a wastewater drainage system in the town center, while in other locations, wastewater is discharged into the environment, flowing directly into rivers, streams, karst pits and gradually seeping into the soil, causing serious water pollution. Signs of water and land pollution have appeared.
Based on the collected data, the level of sustainable tourism in Nam Dam is assessed according to two sets of criteria on tourism development in mountainous areas and tourism development in small traditional communities by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2004). The detailed assessment table is in Appendix 7. The table below summarizes the assessment criteria.
Table 3.10. Summary of strengths and weaknesses in the development of Nam Dam DLBV
Strengths | Weaknesses | General assessment | |
Economic development | - Tourism income increased, contributing significantly to local growth. - Economic structure shifts from agriculture to tourism - Number of tourism businesses increased | Good (4.14/5) | |
Social Development | - Poverty rate decreased - The rate of women participating in tourism activities is increasing. - Traditional cultural values are preserved - Have human resource development activities | Jobs in the tourism industry account for only 30% | Good (4.00/5) |
Environmental protection | - Parties are conscious of environmental protection - There have been many environmental protection activities. | - MT issues begin to emerge - No way yet projects and equipment for thorough treatment | Average (3.54/5) |
Source: Author's synthesis " Note : Author's general assessment according to the following scale: 1: Not sustainable; 2: Has some sustainable development criteria; 3: Developed, but the ratio of good - not good scores
in development achieving equal sustainability; 4: Relatively sustainable development, but still
Many points need to be added, continued to be improved and edited; 5: Sustainable development. ”
The research results show that tourism in Nam Dam is currently developing relatively sustainably (at 3.86/5). The outstanding strength lies in economic development, with good growth in both the number of tourists and their spending. The growth of tourism has contributed greatly to the economic development of the locality, helping to create jobs and increase income for households. In addition, cultural values are still being preserved and promoted. However, the emerging problem in Nam Dam is that there are signs of environmental pollution, but the locality has not had a plan and resources to handle it thoroughly from the beginning.
Table 3.11 below summarizes the key points of community tourism development of the case studies.
Table 3.11: Statistics on sustainable community tourism development contents in research destinations
Content
Unit | Lac Village | Mai Hich | Ta Van | Nam Dam | |
Year of tourism development | 1993 | 2012 | 2008 | 2008 | |
Number of guests (2019) | People | 27,450 | 21,968 | 128,352 | 6,853 |
Average tourism revenue (2019) | Copper | 52,160 billion | 9.886 billion | 6,514 | 2,050 |
Average income per capita | Copper | 43 million | 24 million | 35-40 million | 29.5 million |
Number of people participating in the tour | People | 320 | 105 | 495 | 103 |
Stakeholders have a key role in tourism development in destination | Local community | Business | Business | Government local | |
Sustainable Point | 3.39 | 4.00 | 3.56 | 3.94 |
Source: Author's synthesis
Chapter 3 Summary
Using in-depth interviews, desk research and case studies following a rigorous research process, the author collected data at 4 research sites: Ban Lac, Mai Hich, Ta Van and Nam Dam, which basically described the current state of tourism development based on 3 aspects: economic, social and environmental. This result is closely linked to sustainable tourism development activities, specifically as follows:
In terms of economic development, community tourism has brought many economic benefits to the locality through activities to attract domestic and foreign tourists, increase revenue and increase contributions to the local budget. In particular, community tourism contributes to diversifying local livelihoods and shifting from agriculture to services associated with environmental protection. Stakeholders involved in this process have made important contributions, especially in activities to create new product values and renovate old products with added value, establishing a mechanism to allocate benefits received from tourism activities.
In terms of social development, community tourism has contributed to solving the problems of employment and poverty reduction of local people. It encourages local people and stakeholders to participate in activities to maintain traditional crafts; preserve national cultural identity and pass it on to future generations and prevent it from being lost due to the impact of tourism exploitation. This is an important contribution to the process of sustainable social development, in which stakeholders participate and benefit directly from that process.
Regarding environmental protection, community tourism has changed the habit of using fuel and raised awareness of protecting the natural environment of local people. However, the impacts of tourism activities have led to changes in space and natural environment at destinations, notably the creation of a large amount of inorganic waste that is difficult to decompose, the phenomenon of littering in rivers and streams and polluting water sources still occurs. Faced with this problem, stakeholders have realized their responsibility to promote resource conservation, environmental protection and biodiversity management. Resource conservation activities will help create value, contribute to environmental sustainability in the process of developing community tourism towards sustainability.
Thus, the process of sustainable tourism development at destinations has recorded many achievements but there are still many shortcomings and inadequacies. In which, stakeholders (local authorities, businesses, local people and NGOs) have participated in specific activities, closely linked together to implement the process of developing community tourism towards sustainability of the destination. What specific activities have the stakeholders carried out, and how they have impacted or contributed to the level of sustainability of the destination will be analyzed in detail by the author in chapter 4.
CHAPTER 4.
RESEARCH RESULTS
This chapter presents the main research findings drawn from the cases described in Chapter 3. The findings include the basic activities for sustainable community-based tourism development, the roles of stakeholders in the sustainable tourism development process, and the impact on the sustainability of the destination when stakeholders implement the above groups of activities with the aim of improving income, living standards, and reducing poverty for local communities through tourism activities.
4.1. Key activities for sustainable community tourism development
From the case studies presented in chapter 3, the author found that sustainable community tourism development activities can be divided into three main groups: i) Value creation activities; ii) Value sharing activities; and iii) Value source conservation activities. These three groups of activities interact closely with each other to create sustainable community tourism development. If the Value Creation activity group focuses more on development goals, the two groups of Value Sharing and Value Source Conservation activities help to make development more sustainable. The balance between the above groups of activities will help create a balance in economic, social development and environmental protection - the three pillars of sustainable development.
Value creation
Create tourism products; access tourism markets; retain tourists
Shared Values
Participation of parties in the contract; parties benefit from the contract
Development of DLCĐ
sustainable
Preserving the source of value
Protecting the environment and natural resources; preserving cultural resources; developing human resources
Figure 4.1: Sustainable community tourism development activities
Source: Author's research synthesis
In this model, the mutual relationship between value creation, value sharing and value source conservation in sustainable community tourism development activities is expressed as follows:
(1) The relationship between Value Creation - Value Sharing
Value creation in tourism is the activity of building and improving tourism products; value creation in tourism is closely linked to the benefits and benefit sharing of parties participating in tourism activities. In addition, value sharing in tourism development is maintained on the basis of stakeholders participating and benefiting from tourism activities. Stakeholders in tourism development activities are guaranteed benefits, thereby continuing to create value through proposing ideas, diversifying product types in both content and form.
(2) The relationship between Value Creation - Value Source Preservation
Value creation is formed based on the needs of tourists (those who directly use tourism products and provide feedback on quality) and the ability of the local community to respond (including material, human and financial resources) in tourism development activities. Community tourism products aim to meet the needs of tourists to learn and experience the richness of traditional cultures and natural resources preserved and maintained by local communities. Tourism product development activities ensure the criterion of "building to preserve". In addition, preserving the origin of values is the foundation for continuing tourism value creation activities, ensuring the criteria of building products for preservation and preserving to continue creating values to attract tourists.
(3) The relationship between Sharing value - Preserving the origin of value
Value sharing in tourism activities comes from the division of responsibilities and distribution of benefits from tourism activities, associated with the preservation of the origin of tourism values in the locality. Economic benefits obtained from tourism are used to contribute and reproduce products, linking benefits with the responsibility of preserving values for the participating parties; at the same time, ensuring the costs of activities to preserve cultural values and protect the environment. In addition, preserving the origin of value is an activity of reinvestment in value creation and value sharing. Economic value related to value preservation increases the value of tourism products, allowing and ensuring the distribution of more benefits from tourism in interactions with stakeholders in tourism activities.
4.1.1. Value creation
Define:
In this study, value creation in sustainable community tourism development is understood as direct and indirect activities that create community tourism products and services, create economic value and contribute to the development of local communities. Direct activities are created from the process of combining business activities and local people. Indirect activities are created from the process of building legal corridor conditions, infrastructure, etc. to create the attractiveness of the destination.
Value creation in tourism development is expressed through the following activities:
- Build new products and improve old products with added value.
- Attracting tourists through indicators of growth in the number of domestic and international tourists, expanding the target group of tourists by age group, nationality, etc.
- Increase tourist spending at the destination through common tourism performance monitoring and evaluation indicators such as tourism revenue, length of stay and average tourist spending.
In the case studies, tourism development has facilitated the development of local communities by improving infrastructure and helping to improve the living standards of local people. Tourism also increases employment opportunities, encourages diversification of income sources and reduces the migration of people from the locality to work elsewhere. The clearest evidence for this is community tourism in Lac village. Tourism has been officially developed since 1993, by 2019 there were 78 households operating homestays with 302 people participating in tourism activities, with a total revenue of 46,800 million VND. Many households have become rich, buying cars and expensive household items, the number of poor households in the village is only 02 households. Children are able to go to university, many of whom have returned to continue the tourism business with their grandparents and parents.
“Previously, 100% of Lac villagers worked in the fields. Since starting tourism, the income of the households has increased significantly. The whole village invested in repairing the stilt houses and bought nearly 70 electric cars to serve tourists visiting the village.”
- Sharing of Head of Lac village, CQ17
“Tourism workers in Lac village already have tens of billions in the bank, they have very good income, of which 6 households have even bought private cars worth over 1 billion VND.”
- Sharing of Head of Lac village, CQ17
Creating value for sustainable tourism activities, especially the use of existing resources to create a tourism product, will contribute to poverty reduction and community development. Tourism using the environment also increases the perceived value of natural resources. The case study results show that community tourism in Ta Van with the highlight of terraced rice fields cultural heritage has been ranked as a national monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Cultivation on terraced fields using traditional farming techniques creates a unique local tourism product that attracts tourists.
“Here is a terraced field heritage area, the locals here have the mindset of developing tourism economy so they all consider terraced fields as a special tourism product to attract
"tourists" - Sharing of the Chairman of Ta Van commune, CQ4
“The scenery here is amazing. I got to visit the village, see the winding terraced fields and also take a Dao herbal bath. I really enjoyed it” - Shared by a tourist at Ta Van, KDL01
Value creation activities
As presented above, the “Value Creation” activities are divided into three groups: Creating or improving tourism products, Attracting tourists and Increasing tourist spending. In the research cases of the thesis, tourism products are mainly developed based on the strengths of natural conditions and the richness of ethnic community culture in the Northwest region. The main products include standard Homestay, supporting services such as community cultural activities, local cuisine, local products, or services to support local sightseeing and exploration. Tourist attraction activities include tourism promotion activities and linkages with tourism businesses. However, these activities in the research cases are still monotonous and there is no linkage between localities in tourism development. Activities to increase tourist spending depend largely on the above two activities, especially the diversity and quality of local tourism products. In this activity, the quality of human resources plays a very important role. However, as Table 3.1 below illustrates, the average length of stay (2 days) and average spending of tourists to the studied tourist destinations are still quite modest.