While tours to visit orchards or plantations in Ho Chi Minh City are appealing to international tourists, the reality has failed to live up to its potential due to a lack of connection between garden owners and travel firms.
Tourism authorities in the southern metropolis wanted to add tours of plantations to its list of tourism products to lure international visitors, but a pilot program to test the effectiveness of the plan has yielded unexpected results.
The six-month pilot program was launched in May by the municipal Department of Tourism and its Agriculture and Rural Development counterpart, in which several tour organizers joined hands with plantation owners to bring tourists to explore the areas.
There are many orchards, fruit and flower plantations, and craft villages in the city’s outlying districts such as Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, and District 9.
Tourism authorities hoped to have international tourists experience the green atmosphere, enjoy fresh fruits and seafood, or study the traditional Vietnamese crafts in these locations.
However, as the trial program concluded last week, many travel firms complained about the lack of cooperation from garden owners and the dearth of services for tourists.
These complaints were confirmed when a group of officials from the two departments and some travel firms came to Cu Chi to examine the effectiveness of their pilot program in mid-November.
When the visitors arrived at a flower plantation, the owner had been away and no one showed up to receive them.
“This is quite commonplace when you work with owners of plantations,” said Phan Xuan Anh, an advisor to the Tan Hong Travel Co.
Anh said he had had a similar experience during a recent trip with a group of foreign tourist to a craft village.
“We had all purchased tickets to explore the village, but were eventually told that all the villagers were busy harvesting rice so no one could guide us,” Anh said.
Anh suggested the cooperation between plantation owners and travel firms should be strengthened to avoid such situations.
“The tourism department should have back-up destinations, in case tourists are unable to see the original location as planned,” he added.
Lack of cooperation, services
Ho Chi Minh City tour organizers have also suggested that more kinds of services be offered at the plantations to keep tourists there longer.
A group of international vacationers have recently visited a five-hectare fruit plantation in Cu Chi, and spent 45 minutes touring the orchards and fish ponds there, according to a travel firm.
At lunchtime, the tourists suggested having lunch at the plantation but the owner had to refuse as dining was not available at his place.
“Tourists just have so few services to enjoy when they visit the plantations,” said Nguyen Thien Phuc, director of products at Vidotour Co.
“Some travelers want to have a first-hand experience tending the trees or cutting flowers, but all of these demands cannot be met.”
At the same time, the fruit plantation owners have their own problems.
“I have no experience in tourism, as my job is looking after my plantation and selling bonsais,” Ba Tan, who runs a large orchard in Cu Chi, said.
Tan said he did make some changes to turn his plantation into a tourist destination, including hiring a team of English-speaking attendants and opening a souvenir shop and dining services.
But these changes should be made systematically across all orchards in Ho Chi Minh City, with the support of travel firms and authorities, so that tour packages to plantations can live up to their potential, according to industry insiders.
La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the tourism department, admitted that the results of the pilot program were not as good as expected, pointing the finger at the “loose connection between garden owners and travel firms.”
“Tour organizers wait for changes from the orchard owners, who in fact also wait for their guidance and support, meaning the cooperation is not good enough,” he elaborated.
“The tourism department will continue supporting this kind of tourism, but both the garden owners and travel firms must also try to improve and change themselves.”
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