As part of the program, the delegation conducted field surveys and held working sessions with the Management Board of Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, and household businesses at Lo Lo Chai Community Tourism Village, Lung Cu Commune (Tuyen Quang). Participants explored and exchanged experiences in cooperation between households in conserving, managing, and promoting tourism resources including cultural values, customs, indigenous knowledge, traditional architecture and natural landscapes. They also learned about community-based tourism practices, mechanisms to ensure local participation and equal benefit-sharing, with particular attention to vulnerable groups. Destination management, the roles and responsibilities of authorities, village heads, and residents were also discussed in connection with experience in environmental protection, waste management, and hospitality skills. Notably, models of traditional crafts combined with cultural stories and destination promotion have demonstrated clear effectiveness, providing valuable lessons for the delegation from Non nuoc Cao Bang Geopark.

Continuing the program, the delegation visited the general agriculture and forestry cooperative and Pao housing tourism service in Sa Phin Commune (Tuyen Quang). Here, the delegation was introduced to the cooperative’s organizational structure, operating methods, and approaches to community engagement, and equal benefit-sharing among households. Emphasis was placed on clarifying the roles and responsibilities of local authorities, village heads, and residents in destination management and benefit conflict resolution, highlighting the model’s sustainability. The cooperative also focuses on diversifying tourism products to meet visitor needs, create jobs, and improve local incomes. These practical experiences provided the delegation with further insights into linking cultural heritage conservation with tourism development, prodiving ideas for the context of the traditional craft villages and communities near the heritage sites in Non nuoc Cao Bang Geopark territory.

The exchange visit aimed to support communities and the Geopark partners in accessing practical experience in developing community-based tourism villages and cooperatives, as well as in organizing operations and sharing benefits among members. It also created opportunities to strengthen management capacity, develop craft products, expand tourism services, and promote connections between distinctive local products and visitors. This provides an important foundation for villages, community-based tourism sites, and cooperatives in the Geopark territory to refine their operational models, safeguard heritage values, generate sustainable livelihoods, and enhance effective management and promotion of heritage sites in connection with sustainable tourism development.

Author: Mai Chi