Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho city’s Cai Rang district. The market is one of the city’s most-visited destinations and has operated for more than 100 years. (Photo: VNA) The cityboasts natural advantages for developing agricultural and rural tourism,especially river-related tourism, as it is surrounded by rivers and canals andrural areas account for more than 60% of its total area.
It has 158rivers and canals, including Hau river, a tributary of the Mekong river. The Hauriver runs a total length of 65km through the city.
The city hasmany localities that offer tourism services in fruit orchards such as My Khanhtourism village in Phong Dien district, Son riverine island in Binh Thuydistrict and Tan Loc riverine island in Thot Not district.
Ly Van Bonof Son riverine island has successfully implemented a model of breedingfish in floating cages in the Hau river in combination with offering tourismservices.
He breedsvarious types of fish and decorates his floating cages with flower pots,coconut-leaf roofs and small boats made from plastic bottles to serve touriststaking photos.
With these,he receives about 7,000 tourists a year and provides jobs for 40 local workers.
Previously,many farmers on the island worried that tourists could make fish and fruittrees die, but they no longer think that now, he said.
Aftervisiting, tourists buy fruit and fish, and farmers have additional income fromselling these products directly to tourists and offering tourism services, hesaid.
Dao ThiThanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the city’s Department of Culture, Sports andTourism, said many farmers in Phong Dien, Cai Rang, Binh Thuy and Thot Notdistricts have offered tourism services in their fruit orchards.
Thedevelopment of agricultural and rural tourism has improved incomes forfarmers and the infrastructure in rural areas, she said.
In the firstquarter of this year, the city received more than 1.5 million tourists, up 76%from the same period last year, and most of the tourists chose to visitecotourism and agricultural tourism sites and floating markets, she said.
Agriculturaltourism services have helped promote the city’s specialised products andproducts recognised under the country’s “One Commune-One Product” (OCOP)programmes to more consumers.
Tran ThaiNghiem, Deputy Director of the city’s Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said the city has 92 OCOP products and is promoting theirsales at tourism destinations.
Thuan HoaFood in Ninh Kieu district produces a tea product made from roasted red bean,green bean, black bean, soy bean and brown rice, and it has been recognised asan OCOP product.
Ly Tien Nghia,a representative of Thuan Hoa Food, said the tea is showcased and sold at theSon Riverine Island Agricultural Tourism Cooperative in Binh Thuy district.
Touristsvisiting Son riverine island are introduced to the methods and materialsused for making the tea and then can taste it, he said.
Tourism destinationsare effective channels for promoting sales of products, he said.
He will takethe tea to the My Khanh tourism village in Phong Dien district tointroduce it to more tourists, he said.
Targets
Can Tho istargeting half of its agricultural and rural tourism services will meetthe standards of serving tourists by 2025.
It also aimsfor 70% of people working in agricultural and rural tourism fieldsbe provided professional skills to serve tourists by 2025.
To meet thetargets, the city will focus on developing tourism products that have highquality, are diversified, and meet the requirements of tourists.
It willassist the owners of tourism accommodations to improve their facilities toincrease tourism quality and protect the environment.
Can Tho willpreserve and develop food making villages and agricultural production, andassist craftmen to develop their production.
It willfocus on training tour guides who have deep knowledge about the city’s cultureand agriculture and can speak foreign languages.
The city will also provide training courses on professional skills for orchard owners to improvetheir capacity of managing and developing fruit orchards that offer tourismservices.
It isexpected to receive 1.3 million tourists visiting agricultural and rural tourismsites in 2025./.
VNA
