Community based tourism activities in cat ba island

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT VIETNAM FORESTRY UNIVERSITY STUDENT THESIS Community-based tourism activities in Cat Ba island Major: Advanced Curriculum in Natural Resources Management Code: D850101 Faculty: Forest Resources and Environmental Management Student: Pham Tuan Cuong ID: 1153091134 Class: K56 Course: 2011– 2015 Advanced Education Program Developed in collaboration with Colorado State University, USA Supervisor: Dr Tran Thi Thu Ha Ha Noi, October 2016 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I offer my sincerest gratitude to Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Management, Vietnam Forestry University for the continuous support of my study and related research My special thanks to my supervisor, PhD Tran Thi Thu Ha who directly guide and enthusiastic instructions, additional knowledge for me and encourage me to complete this thesis My sincere thanks also go to all of officers in Cat Ba National Park, Ha Noi who helped me with the field work and data collection Even though I tried my best but there will be unavoidable mistakes or errors I am very glad looking forward to the comments of the teachers to have my thesis more completed Sincerely thank! Hanoi, September 25, 2015 Student Pham Tuan Cuong ii Table of Contents ABSTRACTS INTRODUCTION GOAL AND OBJECTIVES 2.1 Goals 2.2 Objectives: METHODS 3.1 Study area 3.2 Data collection RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 Tourism potential of Cat Ba Island 4.2 The situation of community-based tourism in Cat Ba Island 16 4.3 SWOT analysis of community-based tourism in Cat Ba island 23 4.4 Solutions for sustainable management of community-based tourism in Cat Ba national park 25 CONCLUSION 29 iii List of tables Table Population in Cat Ba island 2Table 2.Population structure and laborers in Cat Ba Island 3Table Potential beachs for tourism in Cat Ba island 10 4Table Area of cover types in Cat Ba island 13 5Table Community participation in tourism activities 16 List of Firgures Figure 1: Location of study area 2Figure Percentages of households want to participate in tourism activities 17 3Figure Activities participated by households……………………………………………… 17 iv ABSTRACTS The study has been carrying out in Cat Ba National Park on Cat Ba island, Hai Phong province The purpose of this thesis is to figure out the current situation of tourism in Cat Ba island then recommend some solutions for tourism development on the island Data was collected from interview tourists and managers associated with field survey, secondary data collection, SWOT analysis v INTRODUCTION Nowadays, in the world, tourism has become a service economy development In Vietnam, the tourism industry was a young and promising for further growth opportunities in the future As we all know, tourism is one of the economic sectors "very dependent on the natural environment as well as socio-cultural characteristics of the indigenous population" Sustainable tourism meets the current needs of tourists and tourist areas, ensuring that meet the needs of future generations Sustainable tourism must manage all types of resources we can meet the needs of economic, social, maintaining cultural identity and the basic ecological processes, biodiversity and guaranteed for life Recognizing that importance, today almost all the developed countries as well as developing ones have a strategy on tourism However, the development of mass tourism, there are no specific plans, focus on immediate economic benefits, lack the management and conservation of natural resources inevitably bring unpredictable consequences on culture, society and the environment, especially in the national park and nature reserve areas Tourism development with the aim of merely economic is threatening the ecological environment and indigenous cultures The consequences of these impacts will affect the long-term development of the tourism industry From the practical situation in development of community tourism at Cat Ba island, I decided to choose the topic: "Community-based tourism activities in Cat Ba island", as thesis topic I hope my topic would make a small contribution to the development of tourism in Cat Ba island GOAL AND OBJECTIVES 2.1 Goals To contribute to the development of community-based tourism in Cat Ba Island in general 2.2 Objectives: - To figure out the resources for the development of community-based tourism at Cat Ba island; - To assess the situation in the current formulation and implementation model of community tourism in Cat Ba island; - To suggest solutions for the development of community-based tourism in Cat Ba island METHODS 3.1 Study area Figure 1: Location of study area Cat Ba is the largest of the 367 islands spanning 260 km2 (100 sq mi) that comprise the Cat Ba Archipelago, which makes up the southeastern edge of Ha Long Bay in Northern Vietnam Cat Ba island has a surface area of 285 km2 (110 sq mi) and maintains the dramatic and rugged features of Ha Long Bay It is commonly used as an overnight hotel stop on tours to Ha Long Bay run by travel agents from Hanoi This island belongs to Haiphong city - the most famous city of industry in Vietnam Approximately half of its area is covered by Cat Ba National Park Cat Ba National Park was established on 31 March 1986 The park is a part of Cat Ba Island in Hạ Long Bay and is administered by the city of Haiphong Cat Ba National Park is situated on the north-east shore of Vietnam and covers most of Cat Ba Island; the park headquarters are at TrungTrang The island is mainly limestone with alternating narrow valleys running north-east to south-west There are many rugged hills with elevation to 500 meters; most are in the range 50–200 meters The geographic coordinates are: 20 ° 43'50 "20 ° 51'29" north latitude; 106 ° 58'20 "-107 ° 10'50" east The area of the park is 16,196.8 hectares, of which 10,931.7 hectares is forest and 5,265.1 hectares of sea Forest includes primary, secondary and mangrove Over 1,500 species of plants have been recorded including 118 trees and 160 plants with medicinal properties So far 282 species have been recorded These include 32 species of mammals, 78 birds’ species, 20 species of reptiles and amphibians, 98 species of zooplankton, 196 species of marine fish and 177 species of coral The most commonly seen mammals are civet, deer, macaques and squirrels The island is on a major migration route for waterfowl which feed and roost in the mangrove forests Cat Ba is on the tropical monsoon region, it is hot, humid and rainy in summer (from May to October), and it is cold and dry in winter (from November to the following year April) The average temperature is 25-28oC As a coastal island, Cat Ba is strongly under effect of the sea The sea controls and balances the weather on the island, making it warmer in winter, cooler in summer comparing to the weather in land Tropical rain forest is the typical type of forest on the island, with the total area is about 150km square Those forests grow on the largest limestone archipelago in ASIA Cat Ba is also known for its largest mangroves in Viet Nam and its biggest reef (1500ha) in the North Gulf with various inhabitants Moreover, the cave system in the island is quite diverse with its naturally beauty Social and economic conditions Population growth in the region in Cat Ba Island is mainly natural increase, an average of 1% / year over the period 1996 to 2004, much lower compared to the annual average rate of HaiPhong city and the whole country Population is relatively stable in recent years; the phenomenon of migration to the islands is rare Table Population in Cat Ba island Communes Households Members Birth rate (%) Gia Luan Phu Long 167 448 606 1.922 1,16 1,56 1,16 0,68 Natural growth rate (%) 0,88 Viet Hai 78 215 2,8 0,9 1,9 Xuan Dam 209 807 1,86 0,37 1,49 HienHao 105 345 2,03 0,58 1,45 Tran Chau 429 1.405 1,07 0,356 0,71 CatBa town 2.141 8.273 1,1 0,53 0,57 Death rate (%) Total 3.577 13.573 1,65 0,65 (Source: People's Committees of communes, Cat Ba town and district statistical yearbook, 2012) Proportion of women and men in recent years not have significant changes, the percentage of women than men are usually a little higher According to 2004 statistics, the percentage of women represented 50.6% in the region Population distribution is uneven with an average density of the buffer zone: 127 people / km2 Ethnic composition is mainly Kinh, concentrated in areas with more favorable position on the subsistence activities 4.2 The situation of community-based tourism in Cat Ba Island According to interviews with 30 local households, the number of households participates in tourism activities and contribution rates on income are shown in the table 5Table Community participation in tourism activities No Households participate in Income contribution tourism activities rate (%) rate (%) Communes Gia Luan 30 15 Phu Long 40 30 Viet Hai 87 63 Xuan Dam 33 12 HienHao 25 6 Tran Chau 21 Cat Ba town 70 72 The above table we can see that the various communes that have the number of households participate in tourism activities is also different; Cat Ba town and Viet Hai commune have very high number of households participate in tourist activities, because they are two of the main tourist routes of the park The more households participate in tourism activities, the higher percentage contribution to total income Most people interviewed desire to participate in tourism activities, partly due to lack of jobs here to create stable income for local people, most of them mainly rely on available forest resources so they desire to generate more revenue trades for a stable life 16 2Figure Percentages of households want to participate in tourism activities 3Figure Activities participated by household Through the survey, among the 30 households interviewed, 77% of households asked expect to participate in tourism activities In 77% of households want to participate there are 75% of people that want to develop restaurant service and homestay for tourists There are also other activities such as tourist guide (26%), souvenir sale (25%) and other activities (13%) In recent years tourism activities in the area of Cat Ba have created work opportunities for local people through activities: 17 - Rental service: bike, motorbike; - Laborers in transport services(coach, motorbike taxi, boat, ship), restaurants, hotels, tourist routes; - Laborers working at the tourist routes; - Participate in the production, farming of agricultural and aquatic products supply to tourists needs as planting vegetables, fish cages, livestock, poultry and fisheries - The business developed to serve the needs of tourists (souvenirs and consumer products) - Cultural life of most people are raised because the infrastructure is raised, the opportunity to exchange with other provinces and other regions are more favorable, easier Besides, access to tourists as well is a factor that creates conditions to improve cultural life, awareness of the residents - The integration and exposure to tourists sometimes changed the culture negatively The integration, daily contact with cultures from different regions (both domestic and foreign) can make changes and commercialized traditional culture of the communities living in local For any tourism sites, issues that need to be considered first are still the impacts of tourism on the environment and people's life where the tourism activities taking place Especially for sites that were built in the residential area, the changes in habitat and local culture are always a matter to be considered first That ensures the sustainable development of tourism, which is trying to achieve Previously, the residents who involved in tourism activities are very low, people mainly living on available natural resources Only in recent years, the natural resources 18 depleted, people's awareness is enhanced, they move on to new investment in tourism activities Especially in recent years, Homestay service is developing Almost all members of the households are involved in this service, especially in the peak months of the summer Most of people are looking forward to participate in tourism activities, partly due to lack of trades here to create stable income for local people, most of whom live primarily based on the available resources so they wish to generate more revenue trades for families with a stable life It can be seen the development of tourism in Cat Ba National Park is common desire of the community to have more jobs, to help stabilize their lives The increase in income will reduce the pressure from the community to the park's natural resources in general and the conservation will be more favorable To residents in Cat Ba island, tourism development opens a new hope for the people here, because they cannot only create their own employment opportunities, increase income, and have the opportunity to introducing the cultural beauty of their nation to the tourists domestic and foreign, besides, they can further promote the traditional cultural capital of their nation The rapid development of tourism activities can make sanitation activities at tourist sites becomes more difficult The sudden increase of the contaminants while not afford sanitationtreatment in places, not collect garbage in time; sewage overflow, noisy situation, dusty landscape… cause communicable diseases and adversely affect the health of tourists and locals Tourism activities and the activities of tourists greatly effect on ecosystems of Cat Ba The big system of ships often travel, anchored in the coral reefs, shellfish gathering and exploitcoral as an ornamental, souvenirs for visitors seriously affecting coral systems as 19 well as the habitat of the marine species Theoverexploitation fishing of aquatic resources to provide for the needs of tourists has reduced the number of fish and shrimp species, particularly in inshore areas  Impact of tourism o Environment:  Positives: Tourism activities have contributed to the preservation of nature and conservation of rare plant and animal species This activity represents an increasingly widespread and more effective Previously residents on the island of Cat Ba considered animals here are infinite resources, there is no sense of protection and exploitation of waste indiscriminately, till Cat Ba National Park was officially established on 31/3/1986, Cat Ba is recognized as world biosphere reserve area by UNESCO on 2/12/2004,add to that the tourism activities are growing strongly, the managers as well as people on the island have a new awareness of the value of local resources alone, from which conserve, preserve and promote the image of the Cat Ba Along with that is a series of projects, resource conservation policies proposed and implemented, hunting, logging has declined On the other hand, thanks to tourism activities with the research and protection, a number of plant and animal species in Cat Ba is well protected, discovered in service learning needs of tourists Tourism development activities, investment of embellished projects, resource conservation also contributed to enhance the beauty of the landscape  Negatives: 20 The number of tourists coming to Cat Ba increased rapidly in recent years In 2006 the total number of visitors coming to Cat Ba is approximately 500,000 passengers, in 2008is1,116,000 passengers Moreover the residential area in the town of Cat Ba, hotels and restaurants located along the coast and the floating restaurant on the bay not have sewage system, all wastewater is discharged into the sea Serving tourists, meeting the demand for food, activities lead to an increase in demand for air-conditioning systems, cooking stoves (wood, coal, oil, gas ), fridge , generators of the exhaust system also causes air pollution (including the CFCs in refrigeration equipments are particularly harmful to the environment and the ozone layer of the atmosphere, can cause the greenhouse effect) Cat Ba environment is being polluted by water, garbage dumped into the sea was harmful to marine animals, waste from ships, oil pollution increased killing many species, fishing by landmines, electric destroyed a lot of marine species, according to the assessment it will take decades to recover Tourism activities have a huge impact on ecosystems in Cat Ba The system of ships travels frequently, anchor in the the coral reefs, shellfish gathering and exploitation as an ornamental coral, souvenirs for visitors seriously affecting coral system as well as the habitat of the marine species The fishing overexploitation of aquatic resources providing for the needs of tourists has reduced the number of fish species, particularly marine shrimp in the inshore area The rare species such as Song fish, Geoduck now can only be found in the cages and seldom seen in the wild The size of the species is declining due to decline, polluted natural food sources o Socioeconomic: 21  Positives: Development of tourism activities will bring practical benefits, the tremendous resource for the community and the local economy Cat Ba tourism becomes an important economic sector contributing to economic growth, increasing revenue to the city budget Tourism development creates jobs and improves the quality of life for people Along with the rapid development of tourism activities, in recent years the number of people involved in this field is huge Previously people living on the island are poor, tough, the main job is farming, aquaculture, marine fishing, exploitation of resources available to sustain life Since tourism activities expanded it created jobs, raise living standards for a large number of local residents, people's lives are improving, so far virtually no poverty People can participate in sailing, transporting tourists, participating in a staff of the shipping company, transporting visitors to tourist sites, National Park, the beach the amount of motorcycle taxi also increased significantly Thanks to tourism, people's lives are improved, compare to the traditional industries, the tourism brings profit much higher System of stores selling souvenirs and more, people participate in additional services such as photographing, selling newspapers, rent bathing suits, swim buoys People put money to build hotels, restaurant food service business, staying service o Negatives: Planning activities of forest protection for tourism development will affect the operation of the forestry sector, logging, industry, local construction Labor force in agriculture, livestock, fishing and aquatic products declines, labor in the tourism sector increased instead, a large number of local people abandon traditional 22 crafts to participate in tourism activities Thus also means that the long tradition economy sectors of local has been restructuredand lost a huge amount of labor Tourism activities make local cultures modified Tourists from many places bring lifestyle, gestures, behavior can be harmful to residents, changing the way of thinking, their way of life, especially the youth Modern lifestyles of tourists will make people be "Westernized", since then leaned down over the material value, losing the beauty of the local traditional culture 4.3 SWOT analysis of community-based tourism in Cat Ba island Strengths Weaknesses - Cat Ba National Park with natural resource abundance and - high still short biodiversity, is the core zone of the - - Park not have a general and Island specific orientation Many beautiful forest landscapes, still - The most of tourism resources is only in the form of potential unique forest ecosystems - The tourism promotional activities Local culture has interesting features, have there are many special festivals: effectively dragon boat racing, windsurfing, shaking basket boat… - Tourism activities in Cat Ba National World Biosphere Reserve in Cat Ba kept pristine natural features, many - The facilities, technical services are - not been implemented Tourism activities take place in the islands, so some aspects are limited Traffic to Cat Ba National Park has gradually improved; enabling tourists 23 to Cat Ba is more favorable and more cost saving - Nature conservation is being done well by the Park Opportunities - - - Threats The number of tourists has increased - rapidly in recent years; it makes management opportunities to develop tourism in sustainable development is weak, not Cat Ba national park associated with the preservation of Tourism is a priority in the strategic landscape values and biodiversity development of tourism in Vietnam, will tourism is also a priority in the environment, development of tourism policy in landscape, Haiphong biodiversity and nature conservation Vietnam government as well as many objectives domestic and foreign investors are - The development of tourism that the - and degrade planning the natural destroying affect the of value the of Social awareness about sustainable interested in the development of development is low; the conflict tourism projects in the national parks between and protected area conservation is the biggest challenge Some policies and regulations on to Cat Ba National Park tourism development have been - issued and Competition in attracting investment and 24 development tourism development has - Tourism development brings become increasingly intense financial opportunities to support for conservation activities, - increase Population growth and excessive infrastructure will disrupt the wild income for people beauty of Cat Ba National Park, and can impact on ecosystems Through analysis we find that, with all the enormous potential of nature, society, along with its favorable geographical location, great climatic conditions, convenient road and waterway transport, associated with life community life brings its own identity, its hospitable people and determined to implement the development strategy of the city tourism industry, will be the basis of scientific and practical firm guarantees for the thriving of Cat Ba National Park tourism in particular and tourism in general Haiphong, overcome difficulties and challenges to development 4.4 Solutions for sustainable management of community-based tourism in Cat Ba national park 4.4.1 Policy mechanisms - A mechanism should be open on the issue of concessional loans to households in the communes with the need to build infrastructure for community-based tourism model, to create stimulus for investment in construction of facilities for tourism - There should be policies to encourage the development of tourism, to promote individuals and organizations to joint venture investment to develop tourism at Cat Ba National Park 25 - The authorities strengthen the control of tourism activities to ensure the maintenance of quality, branding, and professional formation, improve efficiency and competitiveness - The management board should verify the current status of equipment and infrastructure conditions of the households, help households which are lack of equipment, support and teach, train them so they can move on to provide other services - The management board should set up multiple feedback mailboxes to understand the aspirations, proposals and recommendations of the people, visitors and those who join the service 4.4.2 Raising awareness of people Human are the decisive factor in the development of all So we need to have the solution to use it effectively and develop human resources for tourism The training and awareness-raising is considered as a key factor for improving quality of service, improve the efficiency of management and business operations of the community tourism Need to raise awareness on issues related to tourism activities such as understanding of the value of natural resources and environment, social understanding, the knowledge related to law, the purpose of travel tourism and sustainable tourism Besides also have some training courses, vocational training for people as tour guide, room service, cooking… not only has the effect of encouraging the participation of local communities in tourist activities that bring economic benefits but also meet the needs of visitors wanting to interact more with the people and life of native, raise the quality of tours Need to have measures to raise public awareness about the awareness of protecting environmental resources through educational programs Coordinating with the education 26 sector to bring education of environment into the core curriculum and extracurricular of general education - Raise awareness of the subjects about the value of natural resources, natural ecosystems, precious and rare natural reserves, preserve the unique landscapes, the local endemic species - Educating environmental protection skills such as fire prevention, protecting endangered animals - Education on environmental ethics and environmental friendly behaviors for both residents and tourists: no littering, no using explosives in fishing… 4.4.3 Tourism promotion In tourism activities, the promotion aims are to provide information about tourism potential to help tourists get the accurate information and timely to have choices and make their trip convenient and most effective, not only evoke proud of the historical tradition and the values of national culture but also educational awareness of environmental protection, raising awareness of the communities and of visitors to the development of tourism Achieving high efficiency in tourism promotion requires a professional marketing strategy, firstly, the city and district should clearly identify the contents to be advertised to the client and determine the advantages and the potential of the island to have the most appropriate marketing plan Along with that is to identify sources of potential tourists of the type of tourism at Cat Ba About solutions to promote tourism and people, as well as residents life in Cat Ba, need to perform in a variety of measures, many different directions to promote the image of Cat Ba tourism to tourists First is promoting in traditional ways through print media such 27 as brochures, CDs, VCDs, newspapers introduction to community-based tourism in Cat Ba In order to bring the image of tourism activities to tourists, the need to improve the work of advertising through the mass media: radio, television, online newspapers, making documentary about the landscapes and human life In addition, the organization of tourist events is also an opportunity to promote the tourism image of Cat Ba effectively Also frequently change the content of ads on billboards, posters on the streets of the island They are very effective ways of advertising, attracting the attention of tourists 28 CONCLUSION Tourism is increasingly attractive to tourists, especially international tourists.Models of community-based tourism at Cat Island Ba did and are achieving certain effects Cat Ba National Park has many advantages to develop tourism, because it has a diverse ecosystem, unique natural landscape In addition, the buffer zone residents also have features in living, culture imbued with cultural nuances of the Sea Islands residents Besides natural landscapes, the traditional culture of the people here needed to be restored, preserved and developed not only for tourism but also need to have the proper conservation to ensure sustainability future for Cat Ba tourism Therefore, the participation of local communities in tourist activities has important implications in the development strategies of island tourism The activities related to environmental education for tourists and local people over the years have been made, however, there are still many problems that exist and need to be overcome Need to maximize the role of Cat Ba National Park in forming the attitudes and responsibilities of tourists and local residents on environmental resources and tourism Tourists come to Cat Ba today not only to view majestic mountain landscapes, immense sea but also enjoy in the daily lives of the people here With the desire that tourist activities on the island communities must ensure sustainable development for local communities, everyone should contribute to the construction and development This is also the goal of sustainable development which Cat Ba to achieve in the near future 29 REFERENCES 1/ Hai Phong City People's Committee (2007), Building a sustainable development program Biosphere Reserve Cat Ba Island; Decision No 1743 / QD 2/ Hai Phong City People's Committee (2009), Establishment Services Center, eco-tourism and environmental education under the Cat Ba National Park, Decision No 492 / QDCommittee 3/ Vietnam Tourism Law, the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 2005 4/ Nguyen Thi Son, 2007 Ecotourism Lecture, teaching materials training on eco-tourism for the national park and protected area in 2007 5/ Cao Thi Thu Trang, environmental capacity rating Cat Ba Island and proposed solutions for sustainable development, scientific research project, 2008 6/ Pham Van Thuong (2010), master's thesis: "Understanding the potential, actual operations and propose solutions to develop ecotourism National Park Cat Ba - Hai Phong", National University of Hanoi 7/ Vu Thi Hang (2010), student thesis: "Current situation community tourism development on Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong City", Hanoi University of Culture 8/ Website: www.google.com.vn 30 ... 4.1 Tourism potential of Cat Ba Island 4.2 The situation of community- based tourism in Cat Ba Island 16 4.3 SWOT analysis of community- based tourism in Cat Ba island ... laborers in Cat Ba Island 3Table Potential beachs for tourism in Cat Ba island 10 4Table Area of cover types in Cat Ba island 13 5Table Community participation in tourism activities. .. of the tourism industry From the practical situation in development of community tourism at Cat Ba island, I decided to choose the topic: "Community- based tourism activities in Cat Ba island" ,