Doing tourism from the perspective of festivals with the identity of ethnic groups and regions

10/28/2024 06:27

It is necessary to effectively exploit the festivals of ethnic minority communities. (Source: Quang Tri Provincial Museum and Relic Management Center)

(PLVN) - Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups, each with its own festivals associated with each region, bringing its own unique and attractive features from traditional costumes, cuisine to rituals and ceremonies. Festivals not only contribute to preserving culture, but also represent potential for socio-economic development.

In the coming November, the 6th Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo Boat Racing in Soc Trang, Mekong Delta region and the 1st Soc Trang Culture, Sports and Tourism Week in 2024 will take place for 7 days. It is known that this is a series of activities to honor the traditional cultural beauty of the Khmer ethnic people, especially festival cultural activities. Thereby, meeting the thoughts, aspirations, and needs for cultural and spiritual life of ethnic people in the Mekong Delta region in general and Soc Trang province in particular.

In October, the People's Committee of Buon Ma Thuot City (Dak Lak) organized the traditional brocade fashion art program "Ban Me Dance". The program aims to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Dak Lak province's founding, associated with the 120th anniversary of Buon Ma Thuot's formation and development; 50 years of Buon Ma Thuot victory, liberation of Dak Lak province...

In fact, ethnic minorities in Vietnam account for nearly 20% of the total population. Many of them still maintain their unique cultural beauty. Organizing festivals recreates the cultural features of ethnic groups, through which ethnic minority communities can exchange, learn, and preserve their national cultural identity. In particular, through festivals, the tourism potential of many local provinces is increasingly developing. Some festivals are gradually becoming tourism products for tourists to learn, explore, and experience. When tourists come to festivals, they will have some essential needs such as travel, accommodation, relaxation, eating, shopping, and entertainment.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there are more than 7,900 festivals nationwide, of which folk festivals are the most numerous with over 7,000, with an average of about 20 large and small festivals taking place per day. From the large number of festivals, it is easy to see some problems in the trend of festival transformation, such as: excessive commercialization in the organization of traditional festivals; superstition occurring in many festivals, of all sizes; some bad customs reviving along with the revival of traditional festivals, some social evils and other festival-related services arising...

Based on this reality, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Official Dispatch No. 3732/BVHTTDL-VHCS requesting the People's Committees of provinces and cities to proactively strengthen the management of grassroots cultural activities, including the effective use of the system of cultural and sports institutions; festival organization... The Ministry requested localities to proactively propose solutions to effectively use grassroots cultural and sports institutions. Overcoming the situation where local cultural and sports institutions have been invested but have not been used to organize activities, or have not yet fully utilized their functions.

Thus, in order for festivals honoring the identity of ethnic minority communities to fully develop their potential, they need to be invested in and managed closely, and separate spaces must be created, focusing on typical products and the unique beauty of their people.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/lam-du-lich-tu-goc-nhin-le-hoi-mang-ban-sac-cac-dan-toc-vung-mien-post529953.html