Lao Cai makes use of strengths to meet tourists’ travel trend

The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai has made use of its strengths to develop new tourism products that meet tourists’ travel trend.

One of the new products that has drawn a large number of visitors recently is farmstay which allows tourists to join locals in agricultural activities such as growing vegetables or raising fish and livestock, and harvesting and using their products to cook meals.

Ta Van commune in Sa Pa town is well-known for community-based tourism villages that draw numerous tourists.

Grasping tourists' need, many local homestay service providers have used their agricultural production area to create unforgettable experiences to visitors.

Hoang Hien, the owner of Lua homestay, said that she found that visitors are particularly interested in experiencing the local life.

From May, foreign tourists come and plant rice in terraced fields with local residents.

After a working day, they have dinners with the locals.

In August and September, the tourists are offered to harvest rice, ride buffalos and bathe in streams.

Ricard, a French tourist, said visitors want to have such experiences, enjoying locals' daily lives in places where they come, not simply taking photos.

Meanwhile, visiting a farmstay model in Bat Xat district, visitors not only relax and participate in daily activities with local residents but also pick and collect herbal medicinal plants, till the field.

They also have chance to join preparing traditional meals with local residents in the community house of the Red Dao Phin Ngan.

Thanks to the massive forest area, the farmstay tourism model is booming in Lao Cai, generating twin benefits, helping increase income for locals and promote sustainable environment.

In order to expand agrotourism, Lao Cai has worked to connect tourists and destinations by organising events and farm trips for travel firms and media agencies.

Besides, it is developing many other tourism products in association with the promotion of the cultural identities of local ethnic minority groups.At the same time, Lao Cai has strengthened coordination with domestic and foreign localities such as Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Yunnan (China), and Nouvelle Aquitaine region (France) to promote its tourism sector.

The Lao Cai Department of Tourism planned to organise a number of large-scale events to lure visitors in the coming time, such as Bac Ha White Plateau Festival, Rose and Love Festival, Triathlon tournament in Bac Ha, Sa Pa Snow Festival, and international tourism fair 2024.

According to the provincial Department of Tourism, in the first half of 2024, the province earned 13.5 trillion VND (531.18 million USD) from tourism services, a year-on-year surge of 24%.

The locality welcomed more than 4.1 million visitors, fulfilling 48.67% its plan for the whole year. Sa Pa town, honoured by Tripadvisor as one of top five Trending Destinations in the world in 2024, remained Lao Cai's key destination with nearly 2 million visitors accommodated in the first half of this year.

This year, Lao Cai targets to attract 8.5 million visitors with tourism revenue of over 27 trillion VND./.