07 solutions for implementing the Scheme on community tourism development in Vietnam

07 solutions for implementing the Scheme on community tourism development in Vietnam​ (Image from the internet)

On October 30, 2024, the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism issued Decision 3222/QD-BVHTTDL to approve the Community Tourism Development Scheme in Vietnam.

07 Solutions for Implementing the Community Tourism Development Scheme in Vietnam

The Scheme specifies the following 07 solutions for implementing the Community Tourism Development Scheme in Vietnam:

(1) Solutions to strengthen policy integration, investment support for community tourism development, and effective use of capital sources

- Research and efficiently utilize budget capital for investment in supporting the restoration and preservation of traditional cultures linked to community tourism development, as detailed in Project 6: “Preserve and promote the great cultural values of ethnic minorities linked to tourism development” under the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minorities and mountainous areas for the 2021-2030 period with Phase I: from 2021 to 2025 in Decision 1719/QD-TTg dated October 14, 2021, by the Prime Minister of Vietnam.

- Research and efficiently utilize budget capital for the renovation, upgrade, and completion of rural infrastructure, especially transportation systems, power and clean water systems, healthcare infrastructure, sanitation facilities, parking areas, guidance and sign systems, digital infrastructure, and telecommunications connectivity, waste collection and treatment...to support development in community tourism points within the new rural construction.

- Research and efficiently utilize budget capital for exploiting and developing products tied to community values, local origins, and regional specialties based on strengths and advantages of natural conditions, resources, indigenous knowledge, and culture to develop community tourism products and services under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program.

- Develop, supplement, and complete mechanisms and policies for community tourism development in the new era to improve business conditions for tourism products and services, enhance the effectiveness of intellectual property rights enforcement, and promote fair competition in the market.

- Review, adjust, and supplement effective coordination mechanisms between ministries and central authorities and localities, ensuring synchronization, avoiding overlaps and redundancies to promote community tourism development; enhance decentralization in the administrative system, while strengthening activities of monitoring, urging, checking, inspecting, supervising public service enforcement activities.

- Research other related policies to support and encourage investment in community tourism development.

(2) Solutions on infrastructure and technical facilities

- Develop long-term plans and action programs for investing in upgrading the physical facilities of community tourism sites sustainably, preserving landscapes, and the environment; invest in infrastructure for the selected area; propose and build specific mechanisms and policies to encourage people to participate in developing technical service infrastructure for community tourism.

- Support investment from the state budget for infrastructure development; upgrade infrastructure for potential community tourism points to attract tourists; invest in technical facilities and tourism infrastructure with interconnectedness to the selected community tourism point.

- Mobilize synchronized resources to provide initial seed capital for households and community members to create physical facilities for community tourism development.

- Reasonably exploit natural resources, organize activities for tourists that are beneficial for health, encourage the use of locally available natural materials such as herbal baths, spas, mineral baths, local specialties, and nature-based sports activities like trekking, boating, rafting, fishing, cycling, scuba diving... linked to community tourism development.

(3) Solutions on market, promotion, and product development linkage

- Propagate and raise awareness about community tourism development;

- Focus on developing unique, attractive community tourism products that meet the needs and tastes of tourists from target markets;

- Guide and support the community to proactively build tourism promotion databases, implement effective promotion of community tourism products to domestic and international markets;

- Prioritize promotion, market development, attract international tourists from ASEAN regions, Northeast Asia, Western Europe, Australia, and domestic tourists from major cities, and major tourism centers to experience, use community tourism products;

- Build a benefit-sharing model between the community, businesses, relevant entities, and promotion organizations, attract resources for investment development in community tourism, gradually build the local and national community tourism brand of Vietnam.

(4) Solutions on planning, investment encouragement

- Organize spatial planning for community tourism points.

Support the preservation and restoration of traditional cultures, particularly the cultures of indigenous ethnic groups; develop craft villages linked to the traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas for community tourism development; research and select distinctive ethnic minority cultural values of each locality to develop tourism products linked to building and preserving the destination cultural environment.

Support infrastructure development, technical tourism facilities at community tourism sites; upgrade, complete roadway systems, lighting systems, parking areas, signboards, information technology, wifi, receiving areas, community cultural activity areas, exhibition and sales points for local specialty products, belief, and religious sites, service and sightseeing points, public entertainment, and recreational areas... to serve community tourism development.

- Support connection and attraction of tourists, promote digital transformation applications and smart technologies, integrate e-commerce transaction modes in developing community tourism products; organize programs, workshops, seminars, forums, and trade fairs to connect stakeholders, businesses, investors, and customer markets to community tourism sites.

(5) Solutions on preservation and development of cultural values

- Propagate and mobilize households to participate in community tourism based on preserving family traditions, lineages, and exploiting local cultural media.

- Maintain normal living and residential environments for local communities; ensure security, public order, social safety, and cultural preservation in community tourism activities.

- Develop community tourism linked to the culture of local people and for the livelihood of locals, encouraging local residents to participate in tourism development initiatives; state policies should support the motivation and activation of households to engage in community tourism.

- Develop cultural lifestyles, appropriate organizational and communication criteria, customer service behavior protocols, and tourists' code of conduct with local people, widely disseminate to locals and tourists visiting community tourism sites.

- Develop comprehensive mechanisms and policies for cultural preservation and development to encourage businesses, organizations, families, and individuals to participate in community tourism activities in a manner compatible with tourists' demands; ensure the preservation and promotion of local traditional cultural values, create a healthy cultural environment at community tourism points.

- Build community tourism destinations that integrate local cultural values, with close coordination and linkage between relevant parties under principles of equality and fair benefit-sharing.

(6) Solutions on management and human resource quality enhancement

- Establish management boards and specialized groups such as Emergency Response Group, Safety and Hygiene Monitoring Group, Tour Guide Group, Performing Arts Group, Cooking Group..., clearly define tasks and roles of group members. Coordination among tourism practitioners should be reflected in benefit-sharing at community tourism sites.

- Enhance the capacity and skills for local community members participating in tourism activities. Support and train in expertise and professions for effective organization, management, and destination exploitation. Strengthen training to improve knowledge and skills; focus on onsite training, practice, and retraining; develop training programs, content, and materials for management boards and individuals serving guests, with practical content, sharing experiences from exemplary models in the community. Emphasize practical surveys to exchange experiences with localities successfully implementing community tourism activities.

- Develop a code of conduct at community tourism sites to ensure the responsibilities of participants, a code of conduct for tourists, service providers, food and beverage suppliers, tour organizers, guides... at community tourism sites.

- Disseminate and apply National Standard TCVN 13259:2020 Community Tourism - Service Quality Requirements published by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Decision 3941/QD-BKHCN dated December 31, 2020, and ASEAN Community Tourism Standards.

- Propagate and raise awareness among stakeholders serving tourists in the community; encourage community members to enhance professional capacity, learn trades, and pursue higher education.

(7) Solutions on resource and environmental protection

- Check, review, implement environmental protection programs and resource management; comply with rules and principles of prevention, reduction, reuse, and improvement of products affecting the natural, cultural, and social environment at community tourism sites.

- Develop ecological, organic, and clean products to serve tourists; propagate and encourage residents and tourists to raise awareness about environmental protection according to responsible tourism principles with the community.

- Enhance compliance awareness of environmental protection regulations, update information and documents related to natural and social environmental protection; intensify specialized training for the community in specific fields related to environmental protection; strengthen coordination among sectors, levels, organizations, businesses, and the local community concerning environmental protection at community tourism sites.

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