Developing community tourism associated with preserving cultural identity

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - In recent years, many tourist areas and spots in the province have focused on exploiting the potential and advantages of the unique cultural identity of local people to develop community tourism. From there, not only creating a difference in tourism products, increasing the attractiveness of tourists, but also contributing to preserving traditional culture, promoting local customs and practices.

Tourists visit the water wheel at Pu Luong Community Ecotourism Area.

In the summer, if you come to visit and experience community tourism spots in Xuan Thai commune, you will enjoy the fresh air, immerse yourself in nature and experience the life of the Thai ethnic people here.

According to Ms. Le Thi Tuan, a household doing community tourism in Lung village, grasping the potential and advantages of the locality, which is beautiful natural scenery and still preserves many cultural features of the Thai ethnic people, her family has decided to invest capital in community tourism in recent years. "To serve tourists, we have invested in buying tents, canvas, speakers, generators, tables and chairs... to serve tourists with food, accommodation and connect with the art troupes of the Thai ethnic people in the village to organize cultural exchange activities, art performances, bamboo dancing, rattling and folk games such as throwing con, tug of war, pushing sticks" - Ms. Tuan said. When coming here, tourists can also participate in recreational fishing activities, visit the village, explore pristine caves, experience production activities and culinary exchanges with the locals with many attractive dishes such as grilled chicken, grilled buffalo meat, grilled pork, snails, crabs, river fish, bamboo shoots, sticky rice...

"Thanks to that, our community tourism spot attracts a lot of tourists to visit and experience. From there, not only does it create jobs to improve the lives of the people, but the national identity and cultural traditions of the people are also preserved and promoted," said Ms. Tuan.

Currently, in Xuan Thai commune, there are 4 community tourism spots, attracting 8 households to participate. Since the development of community tourism here, it has breathed a "new wind" into the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities in the area. Up to now, in the villages in the commune, many traditional cultural features of the people have been restored and promoted such as gong beating, bamboo dancing, bamboo rafting, folk games, and many stilt houses have been built by the people in the commune to serve tourists. Along with that, the commune has established 5 traditional art troupes, each attracting 30 participants and regularly organizing practice and performances to serve tourists. To continue developing community tourism, the commune will promote propaganda for households to actively invest in infrastructure at community tourism sites, organize training courses for households participating in community tourism business, and build more tourism products to serve the needs of tourists to experience, explore , and relax.

Tourists enjoy dishes with ethnic minorities in Xuan Thai commune.

Community tourism has the dual benefit of helping to develop the economy, creating more jobs and income for local people, while preserving and promoting indigenous cultural values ​​and natural resources. Therefore, many tourist areas and spots in the province have actively expanded and developed community tourism, bringing many experiences to tourists. Sharing about the development of community tourism, Mr. Doan Dai Thang, manager at Pu Luong Riverside Lodge, Hieu village, Co Lung commune, said: "From the advantages of natural landscapes, customs, and festivals that are preserved and promoted by people living around the conservation area, we have built many attractive tourism products for tourists such as cycling to enjoy the natural landscape, watching terraced fields, experiencing rice planting, harvesting rice, or participating in preparing traditional dishes, cultural exchanges with ethnic minorities. From there, it contributes to increasing the experience, extending the length of stay and increasing the spending ability of tourists".

In many tourist areas and spots such as Ma village, But village, Pu Luong Nature Reserve..., community tourism is also developing strongly, attracting many tourists to visit and stay. To create conditions for community tourism to develop, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued 10 projects to develop community tourism on the basis of exploiting the unique natural and cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities in mountainous areas. At the same time, strengthen coordination with units to open training classes on community tourism for tourism workers and people living around tourist areas and spots; open classes to teach folk songs, folk dances, traditional music of ethnic minorities to serve tourism development; guide and support local people to develop unique tourism products based on indigenous culture...

However, objectively speaking, the development of community tourism in mountainous areas still faces many difficulties due to the lack of synchronous tourism infrastructure, monotonous and small-scale tourism products; unprofessional and unsystematic tourism human resources. Many ethnic minority and mountainous people do not really understand the value of indigenous culture as the "key" to developing community tourism, so when they see the increasing demand for tourists, they have built more accommodation areas, destroying the natural landscape, affecting the sustainable development of community tourism... Therefore, more systematic methods and long-term strategies are needed for community tourism to make a breakthrough.

Article and photos: Nguyen Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/phat-trien-du-lich-cong-dong-gan-voi-bao-ton-ban-sac-van-hoa-259081.htm