Workshop "Sustainable tourism destination management".

In Son La province, the GREAT Project Phase 1 will be implemented from 2017-2022, with a total investment of over VND 202 billion. During this phase, the project and its partners have applied many effective creative solutions to build and develop market systems in the agricultural and tourism sectors and increase economic empowerment for women, especially ethnic minority women.

In the tourism sector, implemented in Moc Chau district, the project supports the operation of the community tourism model in Ta So village, Chieng Hac commune; supports 17 households providing homestay services in Vat village, Muong Sang commune to upgrade the community tourism model; provides technical support for the operation of the tourist night market in Moc Chau Farm town. At the same time, the book "Moc Chau Tourism Handbook", "Community Tourism Development Process", and the website "Ta So Tourism" are developed and published. Training is organized to improve knowledge and skills in management and service provision for homestay groups, art performances, etc. The project model and activities have contributed to promoting community tourism, creating jobs and increasing income for households, contributing to poverty reduction and boosting the local economy.

In addition to the achievements, lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and the experience of the GREAT Project Phase 1 show that investments in community and household tourism are potentially risky without close coordination and linkage with other investment activities of the state and the private sector. Therefore, the GREAT Project Phase 2 will focus on creating sustainable opportunities that will bring long-term benefits to ethnic minority women in terms of income and stable employment.

Product display booth of Ang Village Tourism Cooperative, Dong Sang Commune, Moc Chau District.

The GREAT 2 project, implemented from 2023-2027, has an investment capital of more than VND 250 billion, of which non-refundable ODA capital is VND 236 billion and counterpart capital from the provincial budget is VND 1.5 billion. It is expected that more than 15,000 women, of which 70% are ethnic minority women in Son La province, will benefit. The project has 3 main components: Developing the market system in the agricultural and tourism sectors; strategies to support access to finance, digital transformation, development of women-owned enterprises, and communication to change behavior; supporting policy development, completion and implementation.

The first activity of the GREAT Project Phase 2 implemented last September was the organization of the Workshop on “Sustainable Tourism Destination Management”. At the workshop, delegates were representatives of enterprises, cooperatives providing tourism services, representatives of state management agencies on tourism and agriculture of the province, lecturers of Tourism and Entrepreneurship, Institute of Business Administration, VinUniversity, representatives of Clickable Company Limited... shared experiences in building an effective destination management model, developing sustainable tourism. In particular, enhancing the effectiveness of tourism investment through connecting enterprises and local communities, between tourism and agriculture; there are 3 basic pillars for sustainable community tourism development, including: Protecting the environment; respecting local communities; creating equitable economic benefits. At the same time, promoting the connection of tourist routes and destinations; help to enhance community capacity, as community tourism villages often lack the capacity to design and operate tourism and accommodation services, there is a great need for practical guidance by tourism experts in the projects.

Folk art program of ethnic groups in Ngoc Chien commune, Muong La district.

With 12 recognized tourist areas and tourist destinations; of which, Moc Chau National Tourist Area and Son La Hydropower Reservoir Area are planned into the national tourism system for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, have helped the province's tourism affirm itself on the Vietnam tourism map. In recent years, on average, Son La has welcomed about 5 million visitors each year, with revenue of nearly 6,000 billion VND, a growth rate of 13%/year. The specific goals, roadmap, and targets that the GREAT 2 project has been and is implementing will contribute to changing the mindset, strengthening coordination and close connection between state management agencies and enterprises and cooperatives. From there, difficulties are gradually resolved, promoting local tourism to develop more and more, attracting more domestic and international tourists.

According to: Son La Newspaper