(HBO) - According to Do Le Phuong, deputy head of the tourism management section under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hoa Binh province, it is necessary to pay heed to training and improving the quality of the human resources at the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area in order to satisfy the increasing demand of visitors.
With knowledge and skills acquired at training courses, the
owner of Huu Thao Homestay (first, left) in Hien Luong commune (Da Bac
district) confidently guides visitors in cooking local dishes.
Phuong said immediately after the Prime Minister's approval of the
Development Plan for Hoa Binh Lake national tourism area, the Department of
Culture, Sports and Tourism has suggested the provincial Party Committee and People's
Committee build a training plan to improve the quality of local human resources.
He explained that labourers working at tourist sites in the Hoa Binh Lake area
are mostly farmers who are accustomed to agricultural work, and do not have knowledge
and skills in tourism.
In order to equip households
in the area with knowledge and skills for running tourism business, the
Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism held many training courses in Ngoi
Hoa commune (Tan Lac district), Dua island and Thung Nai commune (Cao Phong
district).
Most recently, the Department organised a course to train lake tour guides for
31 locals. In addition, the Department
collaborated with the culture and sports offices of the districts of Mai Chau,
Cao Phong, Da Bac, and Tan Lac to open training courses on skills related to "One
commune – one product” (OCOP) rural tourism services in 2019 for households who
are providing tourism services in the Hoa Binh Lake national tourism area.
Besides, the
provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also organised
training courses to equip organisations and individuals operating in inland
waterway transport business as well as ship helmsmen and sailors with basic
skills in eco-tourism activities on rivers, an overview of Hoa Binh tourism,
the Tourism Law, the Law on Inland Waterway Transport; knowledge related to first
aid and emergency; and communication skills.
As a result, order has been established in activities of transporting waterway
tourists on the Hoa Binh Lake area. The travel ships anchor at designated
sites, and solicitation of tourists by boat owners has ended. The ships are
equipped with life jackets, medical equipment, rescue medicine cabinets, and garbage
bins.
With knowledge provided in training courses, the crew members on ships became
skilled tour guides, contributing to promoting the locality’s beauty to
visitors.
The Department also organised fact-finding
trips for households that provide
tourism services in the Hoa Binh Lake area to learn about effective tourism models in the province and other localities such Vinh Phuc,
Son La, Yen Bai, Quang Ninh and Thai Nguyen. Through these activities, the
quality of tourism human resources in the Hoa Binh lake area has been
constantly improved, meeting requirements of tourists./.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Hoa Binh province continues to implement the expanded tourism development cooperation program plan of 8 Northwest provinces with Ho Chi Minh City; deploying digital transformation content in tourism and developing a smart tourism province. Hoa Binh province received about 3.6 million views, an increase of 7.9% over the same period. In which, international visitors are about 380 visitors, domestic visitors are estimated at 3 million 220 visitors.
Spanning thousands of hectares and winding gracefully along mountain slopes, hillsides, and riverbanks, the terraced rice fields of Lac Son District present a stunning and captivating beauty. This region, renowned for its remarkable terraced landscapes, is also the centre of Hoa Binh Culture known for numerous archaeological sites.
The life of Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district has improved much thanks to tourism development.
The man-made Hoa Binh Lake, with a water surface area of approximately 9,000 hectares and a capacity of 9.45 billion cubic meters, stretches over 200 kilometers from Hoa Binh to Son La provinces. With the goal of developing into a national tourism area, the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area is expected to not only become the largest tourism centre in the province but also one of the 12 key tourist destinations in the northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam.
Da Bia hamlet, now Duc Phong, in Tien Phong commune, Da Bac district, was once almost isolated from the outside as the only way to the hamlet was to get a boat ride across the Hoa Binh reservoir. However, as its tourism potential has been unleashed, the hamlet has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations on the tourism map. It has even received the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Awards in 2019.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province welcomed over 684 thousand visitors to visit and relax. In which, over 516 thousand domestic visitors and more than 168 thousand international visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 821 billion VND.