FIDR Foundation for International Development / Relief

2016/04/11

One after another!? Catu Tour

FIDR started the tourism project in 2012, in order to activate an area where the Catu ethnic minority people live by ensuring both the improvement of people’s livelihood and the conservation of local resources. In March, 2016, when the project nearly came to be accomplished, we heard great news from Catu villages.

“11 groups of 170 customers will visit us within a month!”

The customers who joined the tour were from several countries like France, Japan, Germany and the United States.

There are currently two types of Catu one-day tour. One is called “Catu Festival Tour” which is for the group with more than six people. This tour will visit several villages during the tour. The other one is “Catu Village Walking Tour.” It is for the smaller group with less than five people, and they visit one village and spend plenty of time there.

Catu people have discussed on the improvements after every tour by themselves. They always observe and share the customers’ feedback and how to improve the tour program. Then, they try new activities and make the tours better than before. It is surprising to see how they apply the improvements.

When Catu people received the feedback from the customer saying, “It would be better if we could have more experiencing type of attractions,” then Catu people brought an attraction in at lunch time, “Traditional Catu’s Food Preparation”, at the next tour. They are encouraged by the atmosphere that participants enjoy the tour, so that they can make it better and better.

In addition, the tourism cooperative with 254 members was organized and recognized by Quang Nam Province in November, 2015. It is the second cooperative after the weaving cooperative recognized in 2011, which was formed as the weaving group in 2008 and became the first cooperative in the area run by ethnic minority people.

Catu people have been able to experience how to run the tours in the past four years. Since each member can take a leadership now, they are going to start a new chapter to run the tour by themselves.

2016/04/04

A Final Evaluation of Catu Ethnic Minority Community Based Tourism Project was conducted

FIDR and the People’s Committee of Nam Giang District in Quang Nam Province, performed a final evaluation of the Catu Ethnic Minority Community Based Tourism (CBT) Project on 23-34 March, 2016.

In 2012, FIDR launched the project to support a self-sustaining tourism development of the Catu ethnic minority group of Nam Giang District in Central Vietnam. Over the past four years, Catu people and FIDR have promoted a Community-based Tourism, making full use of a unique tradition and culture of the Catu and abundant natural resource of the area.

Now established their own Tour Operation Unit, Catu people are prepared to receive the tourists and provide them with an opportunity to experience the beauty and uniqueness of the area, while having built a partnership with the travel agents and expanding a PR campaign.

A Final Evaluation of the project saw approximately eighty participants gathering from Hanoi and Da Nang City in central Vietnam where FIDR office is located, and the officers of Quang Nam Province. Guests from the national capital city included Government officials, a Former Deputy Director of Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, experts of regional development and resources, the travel agents, etc.

On the day, after overview, activities and results of the project were reported by the project staff in Nam Giang District, a Project Advisor Mr. Keiichiro Takadera shared the evaluation result.

He reported that more than 1,100 tourists from France, United States, Australia, Vietnam, and Japan etc. had visited the Catu villages and experienced their culture and daily life since the launch of the project.Gross income over four years had exceeded 4 million JPY (approx. 38,000 USD), displaying high level of economic efficiency of the project.Best of all, he stated, the CBT project introduced safeguard for traditional culture of the Catu, fostered unity among the locals, and restored vitalities to the local communities.

Although the small improvements should be added, the project proved more than expected, and was appraised of its high goal attainment level in general.

2015/11/09

Participated in External International Seminar as Speaker

On August 24th, in Da Nang, a major crossroad city of central Vietnam, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Japanese ASEAN Center hosted the seminar titled “Development and Furtherance of Community Based Tourism.”

The seminar purposed to promote community based tourism; self-sustainable tourism destination development using local resources, and gathered around ninety participants from Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, of different backgrounds such as experts of tourism development, administrative officers, domestic travel company staff, and scholars.

FIDR was invited to the event. Project Advisor Mr. Keiichiro Takadera and the head of FIDR Vietnam Office Ms. Otsuki participated in as speakers.

Mr. Takadera introduced the idea of community based tourism and the way of its development, and Ms. Otsuki reported the approach, achievements and results of the project. They received favorable comments and many questions from the audience.

2015/01/26

Project Activates the Community

"Catu Ethnic Minority Community Based Tourism Project” reached the halfway point of the four-year project in March 2014 and FIDR conducted a mid-term evaluation.

In this evaluation, together with the stakeholders we reviewed the activities of the project, produced results and future challenges.

The local residents are satisfied with the benefits from their tourism development.
“I’m pleased to see foreign visitors enjoying their visits to my village.”
“I feel proud to be a Catu when seeing the visitors being impressed by the culture of Catu.”
“The atmosphere of our community has been lightened up.”

The chairman of Ta Bing Commune People’s Committee, who is also the chief of the project management board, was pleased that the project has created a virtuous cycle.

He said, “thanks to increasing tourists, our community has more opportunities to maintain the traditional culture. It has promoted people’s income and their awareness to the growth of the community. In addition, it has strengthened solidarity, security and hygienic environment in the community.”

They also confirmed the necessity to carefully develop tourism in order to prevent any negative effect from outer regions.

Based on the results of the evaluation, FIDR continues to support further progress of tourism development for activating communities for next two years in cooperation with the Catu people and the local government.

2013/08/08

Welcome to Catu Village !!

In late September, inviting by “Viet Nam Sketch”, a Vietnam information magazine, a total of 21 persons, Japanese families living in Danang and Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers joined the sightseeing tour to Nam Giang district.

This tour was conducted as a part of “Tourism Development Project”, 4 year project started this year. In this project, villagers play central role and develop tour programs, though through trial and error, in order for visitors to enjoy Catu culture and rich nature in full.

It takes about two hours by car from Danang to Nam Giang district. The tour started with a welcome by a local tour guide. At first the guide explained exhibits in Guol House which was used for ceremony and gathering and we learnt the history of Nam Giam district and Catu culture. Then we moved to another village. We were welcomed by the whole villagers. We watched and enjoyed Yaya traditional dance and traditional foods. Children in the tour group were very interested in pigs and chickens wondering in the village.
Their families looked happy in watching their children running joyfully in the village.

At Zara village, “Catu Weaving” village, visitors observed traditional unique weaving techniques of inweaving beads to cloths, its production process, and some purchased Catu weaving products as souvenirs at an adjoining souvenir shop.

Many tour members joined this tour to spend holiday time with family. They enjoyed a tour, retuned home happily, and gave us following comments. “Excellent smiles of Catu people”, “I enjoyed friendship with local people”, “I was satisfied with nature in full with my family” and “I like to recommend this to others to join”

After each tour, meeting is held among villagers to review the tour and look for necessary response to improve. The more tours local people receive, the more attractive the tour will become.