An Giang courts more agricultural tourism

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang plans to strengthen co-operation with travel agencies based in HCM City as it implements the second phase of an agriculture tourism project that seeks to raise the incomes of local farmers.

Agriterra, a development arm of five farmers’ unions in the Netherlands, will fund 47 per cent of the project’s VND20 billion (US$961,000) outlay for the second phase with the province raising the rest.

With support from Agriterra, the Viet Nam Farmers’ Association had chosen Tien Giang and An Giang provinces in the south and Lao Cai Province in the north for a 2007 – 10 project that would help local farmers develop their household economy and escape poverty.

Of the three provinces participating in the first phase of the project, only An Giang was selected to continue with the 2011-14 second phase, said Nguyen Thanh Tung of the An Giang Farmers’ Association.

“It is very important for the project to work with travel firms in the city in order to promote agriculture tours that will bring both city residents and foreign tourists to An Giang,” Tung said.

Under the project, selected farmers in the province will be provided with professional skills through courses on tourism services. They will thus learn to develop tourism products that meet the demands of both domestic and foreign tourists.

Tourists would stay at local people’s houses, visit local tourism sites, enjoy traditional festivals and dishes, and participate in farming activities, Tung said.

An Giang’s tourism potential has been seen in the steady increase of visitors over the last three years.

In 2009, it received 3,000 visitors, 500 of them through the agriculture tourism project office. Corresponding figures increased to 7,000 and 800 in 2010; and 10,000 and 3,000 in 2011.

It is expected that the province will attract about 13,000 domestic and 650 international visitors in 2014.

Category: News