COHED provided technical and financial support to the communal local authority and villagers to build up the communal tourism service system, which has provided a high quality tourism service for more than 100 domestic and international tourists over the first four months of 2013.
Contextualisation
Mai
Hich is a community-based tourism project, which began in 2011 and is now running into its third year. The community-based
tourism project is a sustainable
livelihood component of an integrated community development programme, implemented by COHED and funded by Misereor and Brotfür die Welt (Bread for the World). Mai Hich commune is located in Mai Chau valley
(Hoa Binh province, Vietnam). Mai Chau valley is 130 km from Hanoi city and is
a popular destination for hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists
each year. Mai Hich commune and Mai Chau valley are enriched with the fascinating
indigenous cultures of the Thai and Muong ethnic populations as well as the
regions beautiful mountainous landscape and special local food.
This
project aims to help poor rural
Thai ethnic households in Mai Hich commune improve their
standard of living by sustainably utilizing the available resources of the area. This project creates income generation activities for
households in Mai Hich commune,
such as conducting guided tours, providing homestayaccommodation,
food, stores as well as brocade weaving and safe vegetable planting.
Highlights
of COHED’s work in community-based tourism for poverty reduction
COHED provided technical and financial support
to the communal local authority and villagers to build up the communal tourism
service system, which has provided a high quality tourism service for more than
100 domestic and international tourists over the first four months of 2013.
COHED
acts as the manager of all tourism products (including marketing), yet is currently building the capacity of
the local Tourism Board of Management to self-manage in the long run. There is
a wide range of tourism products in Mai Hich communes which include:
·
High-quality
homestay services with the capacity to accommodate 46 people per night at three
traditional stilt houses with an interesting mix between
dormitory style and private rooms
·
Traditional
dance performances, lasting over one hour, presenting different ethnic dances
that are professionally composed and performed
·
Bicycle
tours with a picturesque route through villages and paddy
fields
·
Provision
of souvenir and specialty shops
·
Future
product: A cave in the locality is being considered as a location for candle-lit dinners and a herbal spa, as well as a honeymoon suite in the inner part of the cave. Pre-wedding
arrangements here could become a focus of the domestic tourist
market.
Community-based tourism
development is an important aspect of COHED’s sustainable community development
strategy and COHED’s future plan is to replicate the success of the Mai Hich tourism
development intervention in other poor, disadvantaged and climate change
vulnerable areas throughout Vietnam.
For further information click here
For tour to Mai Hich please call: 0903443199, 0915075658
