Tan Hoa – a remote mountainous commune of Minh Hoa district, about 8 km southeast from the center of Quy Dat town, used to be an insecure flood zone. But now, this is one of the best tourist villages in the world as honored by UNWTO.
On November 14, 2023, a ceremony to receive the title of Best Tourism Village in the World in 2023 voted by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) was officially held in Tan Hoa. This is one of the most prestigious awards in the world tourism industry, awarded to excellent tourist destinations and meets strict criteria on nature conservation, sustainable development and unique experiences.
The challenging life of Tan Hoa people
Before cave tourism developed, Tan Hoa faced many difficulties. Frequent flooding destroyed infrastructure, causing major damage to people’s lives. To maintain their lives, Tan Hoa people have to rely on exploiting products from forests and alluvial ground. During the flooding season, they have to take each other along the cliffs to avoid floods, waiting for the floodwater to recede.
The harshness of the environment has made life of Tan Hoa people difficult and unstable. They had to face anxiety and insecurity every typhoon season which brought the inevitable suffering and damage.
Tourism development brings many opportunities
With the development of cave tourism, Tan Hoa has undergone significant changes. The tourism industry has brought new opportunities to Tan Hoa people, helping them take advantage of the special natural potential of this land.
Tourism development has made a positive change in facilities and people’s lives. Tourism infrastructure has been invested and improved, bringing better amenities and services to tourists. This has created new job opportunities and improved people’s income.
Currently, Tan Hoa has notable new features. The tourism industry has developed not only in facilities but also in people and tourism products.
Tourist services have been developed and become more diverse, from professional tour guides to cave exploration activities. Unique tourism products such as cave tours, indigenous cultural experiences and culinary specialties have caught the attention of tourists.
Tan Hoa people have also undergone positive change, from learning new skills in the tourism industry to awareness raising on environmental and cultural conservation. Tourism development has contributed to changing the lives of Tan Hoa people, bringing opportunities and hope for the future.
The world's best tourism village in 2023 as voted by UNWTO
The Best Tourism Village is a title given to tourist destinations that excel in the criteria of nature conservation, sustainable development and unique tourism experiences. To win this title, tourist destinations must meet strict requirements for nature conservation and sustainable development, and provide unique and culturally distinctive tourism experiences.
Tan Hoa excellently surpassed 260 candidates from around the world to become the solerepresentative of Vietnam to be awarded the title of Best Tourism Village. This is a proud achievement not only for the people of Tan Hoa but also for the entire Vietnamese tourism industry.
Overview of award
Award of Best Tourism Village voted by UNWTO is an important recognition for the globally excellent tourism destinations. UNWTO is an international organization specializing in tourism, with broad influence and prestige in evaluating and promoting the sustainable development of the tourism industry.
This award not only considers the criteria of nature conservation and sustainable development, but also evaluates the ability to create unique and culturally distinctive tourism experiences. Tourist destinations selected as Best Tourism Villages must demonstrate a meticulous consideration between conservation and development, bringing benefits for local communities and visitors, and contribute to building a Sustainable Tourism.
On October 19, 2023, at the solemn and majestic award ceremony in Uzbekistan, among 260 candidates worldwide, Vietnam participated with 4 representatives, and Tan Hoa was the only representative to be called name.
On November 14, 2023, at the Hall of the People’s Committee of Tan Hoa commune, Tan Hoa commune held a ceremony to receive the title “Best tourism village 2003” as voted by the world tourism organization. Attending the ceremony, leaders of Quang Binh province made joyful shares and expressed their wish that Tan Hoa commune will continue to maintain and promote the unique natural and human values of the tourist village, associated with sustainable tourism development, promoting socio-economic development, improving the quality of life of local people and creating motivation for tourism development of Minh Hoa in general and Quang Binh in particular.
What does Tan Hoa need to do next to keep the title?
To maintain the title of the best Tourism Village, Tan Hoa must continue promoting nature conservation and sustainable development. This can be done by issuing detailed policies and planning to protect the region’s precious natural resources, while encouraging beneficial and sustainable tourism activities.
In addition, Tan Hoa also needs to continue to improve the quality of tourism experiences and develop unique tourism products. This could include enhancing cultural experiences, community engagement and encouraging tourism activities that benefit local communities.
Tan Hoa can also take advantage of the title of Best Tourism Village to build cooperation with international tourism organizations and attract the interest of investors in the tourism industry. To gain this, a close connection between businesses, local authorities and all Tan Hoa people is required.
The meaning of the "Best Tourism Village 2023" award voted by UNWTO for Tan Hoa
The title of Best Tourism Village awarded to Tan Hoa is a great success for both the community, businesses and local authorities. This is a recognition of the efforts of Tan Hoa people in preserving and developing sustainable tourism, along with bringing unique travel experiences to tourists.
In addition to creating pride in the community, this title also makes an important contribution to attracting visitors around the world. Tan Hoa will become an attractive destination, attracting the attention of tourists who want to explore the wild natural beauty and experience the unique culture of the local people, create a strength in building tourism image and brand. Tan Hoa will be a valuable and must-visit destination that tourists place their trust and attention.
This is not the final recognition, but just the first step in creating economic development opportunities and improving the lives of local communities. Attracting tourists widely will create demand for services, connect with the tourism industry and create jobs for people in the area. Furthermore, sustainable tourism development also promotes the process of preserving and protecting nature, helping to preserve Tan Hoa’s cultural and natural heritage in the long term.
Tan Hoa needs to continue to improve the quality of tourism services, ensure tourist satisfaction and maintain the title of the best tourist village in the world. Tan Hoa must protect itself from urbanization to fully retain the rare and unique identity of a highland village in the Northwest of Quang Binh. At the same time, it is necessary to build unique and rich tourism programs and activities to attract tourists. Creating a sustainable tourism environment and economic development for the local community is also an important factor for Tan Hoa’s futher development in the future.
Believing that, in the future, Tan Hoa tourism will develop further and become the driving force for the development of neighboring tourist destinations in the Northwest of Quang Binh.
