Ca Mau (VNA) ꦑ– The tourism sector of the southernmost province of Ca Mau has decided to focus on community-based ecotourism in 2023, investing in products such as tours to experience and explore pristine mangrove forests, and accelerate the project “Dat Mui Cultural Tourism village” in a bid to promote sustainable tourism development.

According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the move aims to generate more jobs for rural labourers and create sustainable livelihoods by tapping the strengths of the locality, thus increasing incomes for locals. The project “Dat Mui Cultural Tourism village” has been implemented in the 2021 - 2025 period. This is considered a groundbreaking shift in the tourism industry in the locality, linking tourism development with OCOP product development, and preserving and promoting local traditional culture values. The province’s tourism sector recorded positive growth in the first half of 2023. Ca Mau has so far served 1.16 million tourists, raking in 1.52 trillion VND (64 million USD), surging by 36% and nearly 33% year-on-year, respectively. The results were attributable to the efforts of the locality in promoting and stipulating tourism demand via communication activities, particularly the “Ca Mau – Destination 2023” programme, which features a wide range of cultural, sports, and tourism activities, as well as commercial events. The launch of commercial flights between Ca Mau and Hanoi, as well as the operation of high-speed boats on the Ca Mau-Nam Du-Phu Quoc route, has contributed to luring more domestic and international travelers to Ca Mau, the department said. Currently, Ca Mau has 25 community-based ecotourism sites that are operational, and some new sites are scheduled to be put into operation soon. During the past five years, community-based tourism has benefited local residents through creating jobs for labourers and helping sell local farm produce and handicrafts. It also contributed to a change in labour structure in rural areas. According to Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Hieu Hung, there remains great potential for the locality to further promote this kind of tourism in the coming time. He stressed that it is essential to promptly develop a comprehensive programme to support community-based ecotourism development, towards promoting sustainable and professional tourism development in the locality. The provincial People's Committee has recently approved an ecotourism, resort, and entertainment project at U Minh Ha National Park by 2030 with a total budget of approximately 1.458 trillion VND. Accordingly, the site will include two functional subdivisions of administrative service and ecological restoration, covering a total area of over 1.3 ha. In this site, fauna and flora collections and herbal gardens will be formed, and hospitality services provided. Tours will be developed to connect the site with other destinations in Ca Mau and adjacent provinces. The project is expected to contribute to developing sustainable tourism, and preserving the local cajuput forest ecosystem and biodiversity in the park./.