Type of tourism that takes indigenous culture as its core
Cultural tourism is a type of tourism in which, throughout the journey, tourists aim to learn and experience the culture, history of a country, and the customs and practices of a region. The bridge connecting tourists with the destination is cultural heritage, historical sites, traditional festivals, community organization, etc.
According to the 2005 Law on Tourism, cultural tourism is a form of tourism based on national cultural identity with community participation to preserve and promote traditional values.
Nowadays, tourism combined with cultural exploration is becoming a new trend, bringing double benefits: tourists have interesting experiences, while contributing to preserving and promoting cultural values and identities. Many localities and tourism businesses, especially in mountainous areas and ethnic minority areas, have known how to rely on the cultural identity, unique customs and practices of the community, combined with majestic natural scenery to create attractive tourism programs and products.
Among them are Nghia Do tourist village (Lao Cai province), Lac village, Van village (Hoa Binh province), Sin Suoi Ho village (Lai Chau province), Luot village (Son La province), Xuan Son cultural-tourist village (Phu Tho province), Lo Lo Chai cultural-tourist village (Ha Giang province)...
Besides the cultural tourist destinations that have become familiar, there are new destinations that are just beginning to take shape but have a lot of potential.
The western region of Nghe An is home mainly to the Thai, Mong, Kho Mu, O Du... ethnic minorities. The lives of ethnic minorities are still difficult and at risk of cultural loss.
Local authorities have begun to promote the advantages of nature and cultural identity of ethnic groups to develop tourism, attracting visitors to visit and relax in Mon Son commune (Con Cuong district), Muong Long commune (Ky Son district), and Chau Tien commune (Quy Chau district).
Thanks to tourists, the Mong people in Mon Son commune have restored the traditional craft of weaving skirts and shirts to serve the needs of taking photos, practicing dances, and performing ancient panpipes.
Mong cultural characteristics through Gau Tao festival
The Thai people in Chau Tien commune use the stilt houses passed down by their ancestors to provide homestay services, and at the same time introduce to visitors the craft of brocade weaving, cooking ethnic specialties, organizing Lam dances, drinking Can wine, etc.
Lam Binh District (Tuyen Quang Province) is famous for its Tay villages, where there are traditional wooden-column stilt houses with palm-leaf roofs. On the wooden walls of the houses, there are often hanging đàn tính and chum xoac - symbolic musical instruments of the Tay people.
Lam Binh has restored the fire dancing ritual of the Pa Then people to become a unique tourism product, establishing many clubs for then singing, coi singing, pao dung singing, membrane dancing, panpipe playing, folk songs, folk dances, brocade weaving and embroidery villages.
Tua Chua is a poor district of Dien Bien province. There are 7 ethnic groups living in the area, of which the Mong people account for more than 70%. The unique features that attract tourists are the Mong people's markets in Ta Sin Thanh and Xa Nhe communes, and the night market every Saturday night in Tua Chua town.
Here the cultural identity of the highland ethnic groups is most clearly expressed, where visitors have the most profound and unforgettable experiences.
Counterfeit goods damage identity
For cultural tourists, when they come to a new land, the core thing is to experience the culture of that place. The element of “originality” and uniqueness is placed above the aesthetic and taste factors for every detail of cultural life: cuisine, costumes, customs, beliefs, religious activities, heritage, architecture, handicrafts, etc.
Preserving and developing tourism products with strong cultural identity and beauty is the most basic requirement that the tourism industry aims for in order to attract tourists.
Going against this demand is the trend of imitating ideas and copying historical sites that is quite popular... The Golden Bridge (Hand Bridge) in the Ba Na Hills tourist complex (Da Nang) was carelessly "copied" in Soc Trang, Lam Dong.
A miniature Venice (Italy) has sprung up on Phu Quoc Island. A “Bali Gate (Indonesia)” has been built in Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Tam Dao (Vinh Phuc)… These imitation products only meet the short-term goal of satisfying the virtual living needs of a segment of tourists, but in the long run, they are very harmful, destroying the regional characteristics.
Mr. Nguyen Vu Khac Huy, General Director of Vina Phu Quoc Travel, Permanent Vice President of Kien Giang Tourism Association, said that the fact that tourist areas borrow and copy foreign cultural characteristics (or other regions) puts the local culture at risk of being overshadowed. Visitors to a locality want to find the characteristics of that locality.
Therefore, instead of clumsy plagiarism, creating faulty versions, each locality and each tourist destination needs to have its own unique, outstanding works, carrying cultural values and values of its own destination.
Cultural identity is not simply an imitation of appearance but the depth of history, the quintessence of a community distilled over hundreds, thousands of years. The uniqueness of cultural identity is the key factor for tourists to return, besides the landscape, service quality... Losing the national cultural identity, that tourist destination will wither and no longer attract tourists.
According to Dr. Tran Huu Son, Director of the Institute of Applied Folk Culture Research, cultural tourism products are strictly seasonal - you cannot see festivals or markets on weekdays; you cannot buy specialties when they are not in season...
We must resolutely fight against counterfeit and “imitation” goods of cultural tourism products. Artistic programs, performance ceremonies, and cultural activities of any ethnic group must respect the objectivity and authenticity of that ethnic group’s identity. Absolutely do not fake traditional cultural activities to attract tourists.
To attract more visitors, tourist attractions need to survey and compile schedules of holidays, Tet holidays, and community activities throughout the year to inform visitors, and at the same time promote and introduce them to visitors so they can visit in real settings.
The results of a survey of international tourists in Vietnam show that: 90% of tourists like to listen to guides from local ethnic minorities; 71% of tourists want to sleep and eat right in ethnic minority villages; 81% of tourists want to participate in local activities such as weaving, cooking, preparing medicinal baths...; 83% of tourists want to buy souvenirs right at the place of production of local households.
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