Tourism has been thriving in Lao Cai Province in the past years. Last year, it ranked fourth in the northern region with nearly 1 million visitor arrivals, an increase of 9.1 percent year on year. Tourism revenues totalled VND1,356.42 billion, representing an increase of 64.5 percent over 2010.
The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lao Cai province completed the construction of three projects to materialise three strategies, including Lao Cai tourism development project for the 2011 - 2015 period, with a vision towards 2020; national cultural identity conservation and promotion and cultural institution construction project; and sporting development project. These projects were approved by the Provincial People’s Committee.
The department has built tours, routes and tourism villages with clear orientation and guidance. It did not develop on a mass scale, but in a selective manner. It planned the development of Sa Pa terraced field cultural tourism, detailed village-based tourism development planning in association with cultural heritages of ethnic minorities in Ta Van and Ta Phin communes, Sa Pa district, with planning to ensure the preservation of national cultural identities in association with socioeconomic development for the province.
The province found that people’s living standards improved significantly in the process of piloting community culture-based tourism. Travel and tourism companies volunteered to associate their interests with those of the people to promote local strengths. Hence, they bring tourists direct experience with local villagers. A lot of exciting activities have been introduced, including “Being a farmer in one day” or “Teaching tourists to weave brocade.” Besides, travel companies encouraged people to live and work as they are everyday, not try to “act” when in the presence of tourists.
Linking tourism development with new countryside construction, the tourism industry of Lao Cai province convinces people to end monoculture, restore and develop cottage industries. With the motto "each village, each ethnicity has its own identity to develop,” Lao Cai focuses on unique identities rather than all identities.
The more community tourism develops, the more the living standards of people increase. The department continues advising people to replace backward habits and lifestyle with more civilised ones. In the next five years, 70 percent of households will have toilets and cattle sheds separate from their dwellings.
Knowing that propagation by means of mass media like television and print newspapers is not effective because local people seldom watch TV or read newspapers, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism uses local public loudspeakers, mobile cinema and drama in local languages to achieve better results.
The remarkable tourism development in Lao Cai, together with appropriate policies and unique local cultural identities, make Lao Cai an impressive place of interest for both domestic and international tourists.
Huong Thu
Vietnamese
