Promoting on-site exports, raising value of agricultural products

Vietnam is an agricultural country with 70 percent of the population living in rural areas, the operations of tourism types related to agriculture, farmers, and rural areas account for a relatively large proportion of tourism activities.

In many localities from northern to southern regions, many organizations and individuals have exploited factors from agricultural production for tourism development to meet tourists’ demand for sightseeing. In particular, the connection between travel businesses and suppliers of agricultural tourism products has been increasingly growing, creating many unique, high-quality agricultural tours that have been welcomed by tourists.

Tourists experience agricultural tourism in Vietnam - photo: Thanh Hoa

For example, some tours have become well-known to attract domestic and foreign tourists, such as tours on experiencing agricultural activities in Ninh Binh, Hai Duong; tours on visiting the ripe rice season in Duong Lam, Son Tay, Hanoi...; tours on experiencing agricultural activities in such localities of Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province as Tra Que, An My and Thanh Dong vegetable villages, fishing village (Cu Lao Cham, Hoi An), Cam Nam corn village (Hoi An)...

According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), tourism and agriculture have a close relationship, in which activities of agriculture, farmers, and rural areas are the premise for tourism development. Meanwhile, tourism development will contribute to the stable development of rural areas, preserving cultural identity, promoting on-site exports, and increasing the value of agricultural products.

In particular, the orientations to build new-style rural areas and develop high-quality agriculture in the coming period will be a favorable condition for tourism development. Boosting the values of the agricultural sector to create high-quality, competitive tourism products is an inevitable direction.

Tightening connections to create superior products

Agricultural tourism is a type of tourism that creates tourism products to serve tourists mainly based on agricultural production activities. Its special feature is a combination of natural values and traditional cultural values in rural areas, contributing to the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage as well as traditional occupations.

Agricultural tourism contributes to increasing the attractiveness of Vietnam tourism -photo: Hoi An Tourism Information Portal

Currently, there are various concepts of agricultural tourism in the world, but they always include the four main contents: Combining tourism and agriculture; attracting tourists to agricultural activities; increasing income for farmers; offering tourists opportunities to relax, entertain, exercise physically and mentally, get close to nature and experience the farmers’ lives.

According to the VNAT, to develop agricultural tourism in the coming period, a close connection among related parties is needed (farmers, travel businesses, local authorities, tourism management agencies) to create high quality and professional agricultural tourism products.

From December 9th to 11th, 2024, for the first time, the First Conference on Tourism for Rural Development and the Second Annual Meeting of the Best Tourism Villages by the UN Tourism Network were held in Vietnam to share experience, discuss and orient policies for sustainable development of rural tourism.

The VNAT assessed that this is a great opportunity for the Vietnamese tourism sector to promote the image, brand and especially the potential and strengths of Vietnam’s rural tourism, thereby making this type of tourism to become an important product, contributing to increasing the attractiveness and competitiveness of Vietnam’s tourism in the region and the world.