Towards effective exploitation of trekking tourism

Trekking is a form of outdoor tourism involving hiking and exploring nature. With the potential and strengths of the western mountainous districts, Thanh Hoa province has been surveying and evaluating destinations to build and announce trekking tours in 2024.

Towards effective exploitation of trekking tourism Trekking to explore Bat Cave in Pu Luong Nature Reserve (Ba Thuoc) is a popular tourist destination.

The western mountainous region of Thanh Hoa province is a strip of mountainous and forested land, consisting of 11 districts, with 7 ethnic groups living there. This is not only a place to preserve the cultural space of villages, with many unique customs, cultural beliefs, but also an area with advantages in rich and diverse natural resources including: forests, mountains, lakes, caves, waterfalls and many other landscapes and scenic spots.

Up to now, Pu Luong Nature Reserve (located in Quan Hoa and Ba Thuoc districts) has been chosen by many tourists as an ideal destination for long-term trekking trips. This place attracts trekking enthusiasts because of the 1,700m high Pu Luong peak, along with a primeval forest with a rich flora and fauna, diverse in quantity and species. In particular, the karst rock system of the limestone mountain ecosystem has created many beautiful and mysterious caves. Thanks to the promotion of community ecotourism development, along with many tourism utilities and services, some destinations in Ba Thuoc district have gradually become famous sightseeing and exploration spots on the trekking tourism map of international visitors. Among them are places with many beautiful features and wild landscapes, likened to hanging gardens on high such as: Son - Ba - Muoi (Lung Cao commune); Pu Luong peak, Kho Muong (Thanh Son commune); Don village (Thanh Lam commune); Hieu waterfall (Co Lung commune)... Every year, this place attracts hundreds of thousands of trekking tourists.

Director of Pu Luong Nature Reserve Management Board Le Dinh Phuong said: "Currently, with the potential for developing eco-tourism and resorts associated with growing medicinal plants, Pu Luong Nature Reserve is very suitable for developing trekking tourism. Previously, we have organized a number of surveys and explorations of the terrain to assess the potential and current status for tourism development planning, and at the same time determined that if put into systematic and effective exploitation, trekking tourism will have many prospects for strong development, creating attraction for this place. However, up to now, trekking tourism here is still mainly organized by tourism service businesses and tourists themselves, which poses many potential risks, on the other hand, causing difficulties in forest environment management, forest fire prevention and control, and protection of precious animals and plants in the primary forest...".

Some mountainous districts of the province such as Quan Hoa, Quan Son, Lang Chanh, Thuong Xuan... also possess terrain, majestic natural landscapes, high mountains interspersed with winding roads..., which are valuable materials for developing trekking tours. However, this is a type of adventure tourism, requiring systematic investment and strict management from state management agencies, localities, and destination management boards. On the other hand, in order for trekking tours to not be monotonous, boring and have differences between localities, there needs to be specific surveys and assessments between related parties before being put into operation.

Community tourism expert Duong Minh Binh, Chairman of the Board of Members of CBT Travel Company, said: "If effectively exploited, trekking tourism will become a strong tourism product of Thanh Hoa in the future, especially contributing to attracting international visitors. However, this type of tourism needs to be effectively managed and professionally organized, to ensure the safety of tourists and become a quality tourism product with its own unique appeal. Along with surveying destinations and building a systematic trekking tour, it is necessary to study and promulgate specific regulations on management and organization of service business, separate regulations for adventure tourism businesses and regulations for tourists."

According to the plan, in the third quarter of this year, Thanh Hoa province will organize the announcement of a new tourism product - trekking tour at Pu Luong Community Ecotourism Area (Ba Thuoc). Currently, functional sectors and relevant localities and units are focusing on surveying and assessing the current status of the destination. At the same time, research and exploitation of community tourism villages are being conducted to create ideal stops on mountain climbing routes.

Article and photos: Le Anh

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