Tourists are excited to explore traditional crafts
Instead of just visiting the central area, many tourists choose to explore Hanoi craft villages, experience pottery, silk weaving, incense making and local cuisine.
Every weekend, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien's family (38 years old, Hanoi) often chooses craft villages to both have fun and help their children learn about traditional culture.
The children are very excited to make products themselves and listen to artisans tell about the history of the craft village. This is an experience that playgrounds can hardly get" - Ms. Hien shared.
Meanwhile, Mr. Michelle Wilson (Australian tourist) said that what impressed him the most was not the souvenirs, but the opportunity to directly chat with the artisan.
I like to see firsthand how a product is created. When I try to make it myself and listen to the story behind each item, I feel that I understand Vietnamese culture better," said Michelle.
Thanks to its convenient location and many experiential activities, craft villages are increasingly attracting international visitors, young families, groups of friends and students.
Craft villages open up opportunities to diversify tourism products in the Capital
According to Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel Company, Hanoi has many advantages to develop craft village tourism when it owns a rich system of craft villages with a long history and is relatively close to the central area.
Each craft village not only has unique products but also carries rich cultural values and local identity. These are factors suitable for the trend of experiential tourism, when tourists want to directly make products, meet artisans and explore local life.
The attractiveness of craft villages comes not only from handicrafts but also from the experiences that tourists can directly participate in.
Experiences such as making pottery, weaving silk, lacquer, making incense or processing traditional dishes can create deeper emotions and memories than ordinary sightseeing. Craft villages can also be effectively combined with cultural tourism, cuisine, education, green tourism and family tourism.
To effectively exploit this potential, Mr. Tu believes that it is necessary to build complete tourism products instead of just introducing craft villages as a separate tourist attraction.
First of all, it is necessary to build specific products instead of just introducing craft villages as a single sightseeing spot. Each product needs a clear schedule, reasonable duration, experience content, price, service capacity and safety standards so that travel businesses can include them in the program to sell to customers" - Mr. Tu said.
Building themed tourist routes will help increase the attractiveness of craft village tourism, while creating more choices for tourists when exploring Hanoi.
Hanoi can form themed routes such as craft villages combined with the ancient town, heritage, cuisine, suburban agriculture or river tourism. Half-day and one-day programs will be suitable for guests staying in the central area.
Strengthening links between craft villages and travel businesses, accommodation establishments and service providers is also an important factor for sustainable tourism development.
What tourists are looking for is not just a souvenir, but a story about people and culture behind the product. Therefore, maintaining authenticity is the factor that helps craft village tourism have long-term appeal" - Mr. Tu expressed his opinion.
