Evaluation of community-based tourism development in 2021 at Trang An Landscape Complex

• Implementation time: 2021
• Partner: UNESCO

Abstract:

Situated near the southern margin of the Red River Delta, the Trang An Landscape Complex is a spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys, many of them partly submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs. Exploration of caves at different altitudes has revealed archaeological traces of human activity over a continuous period of more than 30,000 years. Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of VietNam, was strategically established here in the 10th and 11th centuries AD. The property also contains temples, pagodas, paddy-fields and small villages. Since the complex got UNESCO’s accreditation, not only Ninh Binh tourism has developed rapidly but also more local people have changed jobs and taken their livelihoods from tourism services. However, there are some governmental restrictions related to people supporting policies (training tourism service skills and related tools for local people; constructing activities between core zone and buffer zone; beneficial distribution for local people at different sites of the complex,…

Taking this into account, UNESCO has cooperated with Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) in formulating an evaluation report of tourism development in 2021. This is a groundwork for establishing solutions, governmental mechanisms to integrate nature conservation and sustainable community-based tourism. During this process, CCD focuses on community-based tourism and eco-tourism activities to provide the disadvantaged with opportunities to learn, work and increase their income. Such activities also help to raise public awareness and responsibility towards nature, environment and culture.

(Parts of this abstract are taken from Trang An Landscape Complex description under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0. Link: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1438/)