Quang Nam ecotourism towards community benefits

(QNO) - An organic garden, a rice field and a nipa forest are 3 ecological values of Cam Thanh village (Hoi An city, Quang Nam province). They will be a tourist center from which tourism activities will be expanded and connected to historical and cultural relics and experiential tourism here. It is a new eco-tour that will be launched by the end of this year.

Ecotourism in Cam Thanh

Potential for cultural eco-tourism

The one-day eco-tour is designed based on the available ecological background of Cam Thanh commune with Thanh Dong organic vegetable garden, rice fields, the nipa forest, historical and cultural relics. The locals will be tour guides, providing visitors with the information of their interest. The locals play an important role in linking visitors with destinations, turning them to volunteers who introduce the tour effectively.

In a test tour, the combining of travelling and experiencing farming and visiting the nipa forest, learning about cultural and historical values of the community, and enjoying local specialties has made visitors interested and pleased. More interestingly, the tour has left visitors with good impressions of the local protection of environment and ecosystem. It will be the base on which eco-tours are designed to preserve and promote the diversity of this commune.

The tour becomes really effective when it brings benefits to the locals, improving their income, and developing the model of safe clean farming. Hence, this new eco-tour is highly valued and gains lots of support among travel agencies.

Tourism and eco-conservation

During the first 6 months of 2018, Cam Thanh welcomed nearly 450 thousand tourists, 4.5 times higher than the same period of 2017. However, they mainly visited the Bay Mau nipa forest, playing with coracles and enjoying the local specialties. They were not much impressed by tourism activities here. Most of the tours were arbitrary and brought few benefits to the local community.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Hong Thuy, receiving a large number of visitors to Cam Thanh has also caused damage to the Cham Islands World Biosphere Reserve. So it is necessary to develop the model of responsible ecotourism based on the conservation of natural resources in Cam Thanh. It can also help the locals with stable jobs, the local environment, natural resources and historical cultural values to be preserved.

Associate Professor Uong Dinh Khanh- Deputy Director of the Institute of Geography said that eco-tours based on local ecological and cultural values would bring visitors to the destinations of their interest, to the models of eco-conservation. The tours also help better the locals’ income, manage and preserve the biodiversity in Cham Islands World Biosphere Reserve, and create sustainable livelihoods for the locals.