Community-based tourism brings additional income to Quang Nam ethnic groups

Two villages of Co Tu ethnic group in the western mountainous part of Quang Nam Province on 23 June inaugurated their community-based tourism services with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

News | 23 June 2013
QUANG NAM (ILO News) – Two villages of Co Tu ethnic group in the western mountainous part of Quang Nam Province on 23 June inaugurated their community-based tourism services with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Tourists visiting Bho Hoong and Dhroong villages in Dong Giang District can now enjoy such activities and products as homestay, staying at the village communal houses, local tour guides, home-made food, brocade and rattan products, forest walks, hot spring visit and traditional art performances.

According to Vice Director of Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Tan Cuong, these are new tourism products which can attract tourists to the village, contribute to the provincial tourism turnovers and enable local people to increase their income and improve their skills.

“It’s amazing and unique here. The people, scenery and culture are different from other parts of Viet Nam,” said Australian tourist Glenn Phillips, one of the first homestay visitors in Bho Hoong Village. “The location is close to Hoi An, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh trail, it doesn’t take much time to move around.”

The launch of the two community-based tourism villages is part of the project “Strengthening Inland Tourism in Quang Nam Province” that has been implemented by the ILO in cooperation with the provincial authorities for two years.



Ca Tu ethnic people perform a traditional dance during the launch of cummunity-based tourism services at Bho Hoong Village in west Quang Nam. © ILO

The project uses ILO training tools to instruct the local communities in sustainable tourism development and entrepreneurship to create an additional income for their families.

“Tourism is one of the top creators of jobs and thus can be a tool for poor reduction, especially when it is based on the communities themselves,” said Director of ILO Viet Nam Gyorgy Sziraczki.

A Bho Hoong villager, 32-year-old Bnouch Ba, was happy welcoming the first guests to his homestay accomodation.

“I hope to receive more visitors. I have a job at the local Party’s Committee but my family doesn’t have enough work to do, so hopefully this activity can give us more income,” he said.

According to Mr Cuong, ILO support will “pave the way for mountain tourism to develop in the future”.

The ILO Viet Nam director expected that the two community-based tourism villages with some 160 households will “soon become a model for other localities across the country to follow”.