TRAINING AND CAPACITY NEED ASSESSMENT FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT OF CAT TIEN NATIONAL PARK

• Implementation time: 2021 – 2022
• Partner: Cat Tien National Park

Cat Tien National Park was established in Decision No. 08/CT dated 13/01/1992 of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (now the Government) to conserve the natural forest with high biodiversity value in Vietnam. With the phenomenal characteristics of geography, landscape, biodiversity, rare and endemic wildlife genetic resources for Vietnam and the world, on 10/11/2001, UNESCO/MAB recognized Cat Tien National Park as the 411th Biosphere Reserve of the World,  an important link in the global system of biosphere reserves. On 30/06/2011, Cat Tien Biosphere Reserve was expanded to Dong Nai Cultural Reserve and renamed Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. On 04/08/2005, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat recognized Bau Sau wetland as the 1,499th Ramsar Site of the World and the 2nd of Vietnam. On 27/12/2012, the Prime Minister decided to classify Cat Tien National Park as a special national monument of scenic beauty.

In addition to the landscape values and biodiversity, Cat Tien National Park also contains the cultural values of nearly 20,000 people with 33 ethnic groups living in 36 communes and towns bordering the Park such as Nam Cat Tien commune, Tai Lai commune, Dac Lua commune,… Many local ethnic villages still retain traditional cultural values in their architecture designs, traditional products, lifestyles and local customs.

With the unique value of tourism resources, especially in terms of landscape, biodiversity and environment, Cat Tien National Park has long become a ecotourism destination known by many people with unique tourism products such as nocturnal animal watching, gibbon watching, bird watching, visiting ancient trees… attracting more than 50,000 domestic and international tourists in 2019. However, due to objective facts, tourism staffs at Cat Tien National Park and local communities need trainings on tourism skills and operation to match the requirements for ecotourism, community-based tourism development of the Park.

Within the framework of the project “Conservation and development of forest ecosystem biodiversity resources in Cat Tien National Park” funded by AfoCo, the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) has cooperated with Cat Tien National Park to carry out an assessment of tourism training needs and capacity building for staff and communities of buffer zone communes Cat Tien National Park. Based on the assessment results, CCD will coordinate with Cat Tien National Park to develop documents and plan training to improve knowledge and skills for officials and communities in the buffer zone of the Park in order to improve the capacity of ecotourism, community tourism associated with unique natural and cultural experiences.