THE POTENTIAL FOR COMMUNITY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN PHU DINH COMMUNE, DINH HOA DISTRICT, THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE

Research on the potential of community-based tourism development in Phu Dinh Commune, Dinh Hoa District, Thai Nguyen Province, is essential because the commune has started to have community-based tourism households. In this study, we collected data by surveying tourists, authorities, and local people. We analyzed the data and made judgments about the needs of tourists from visitors’ evaluations, local people’s understanding, and difficulties with community-based tourism development activities. The results showed tremendous potential for community-based tourism development in Phu Dinh Commune. The potential for historical-cultural tourism has a significant position now, a prerequisite to attracting tourists to Phu Dinh. Besides, the natural tourism potential is also unique and attractive to tourists. To promote the above tourism potentials for community-based tourism development, it is necessary to have investment support in terms of capital, methods, and fostering knowledge of community-based tourism development for local people to attract tourists to visit historical and cultural sites (basically just a day visit). The tourists can both visit the Dinh Hoa Safety Area National Relic (An Toan Khu - ATK) and combine community-based tourism development (increasing the length of stay of tourists from going to the same day (up to 2-3 days). To achieve these results, it is necessary to converge factors such as policies to support and promote Phu Dinh community-based tourism development of the Department of Tourism, People’s Committees at all levels, the direction and guidance of the local government, and most importantly, the effort of local people learns from the experience of community-based tourism development models.