(VOVWORLD) - Tourism companies in Lao Cai province are working hard to improve their service and diversify their products to attract more visitors. Combining agriculture-based tourism with local ethnic culture appears to be a successful model.
 The strawberry garden of Thang Loi Cooperative in Ta Phin commune, Sa Pa town. (Photo: Nguyen Tuan)
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The Thang Loi Cooperative in Ta Phin commune near the popular resort town of Sa Pa welcomes 300 visitors a day who are invited to pick and eat sweet strawberries straight from their greenhouse garden.
Nguyen Hai Nam, a visitor from Hanoi, told VOV, “This is the third time I’ve come to Sa Pa, but the first time I’ve visited a strawberry garden. It’s interesting to see how strawberries are grown and to hand-pick a ripe, red strawberry.”
Do Thuy Linh, the manager of the Cooperative’s strawberry garden, said, “Now that many people have been vaccinated against COVID-19, more and more people are traveling. Since the Lunar New Year Festival, our garden has, for a couple of times, been unable to produce enough strawberries for visitors to pick.”
 The yellow canola flower garden in Hoang Lien commune in Sa Pa town. (Photo: dantri.com.vn)
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Right now the yellow canola flower gardens in Hoang Lien and Ta Van communes are blooming, enthralling visitors who have come to take photos. Other tourism models have been developed around sheep farms and aquariums.
Nguyen Trung Kien, Deputy Director of Cat Cat village, a tourist attraction in Sa Pa, said ensuring epidemic prevention and control is a prerequisite for receiving tourists.
“We’ve encouraged everyone at our resort to strictly follow epidemic rules. As tourism resumes, it’s important to receive tourists in the safest possible way,” said Kien.
The growing demand for agricultural tourism is motivating local farmers to improve their soil, refine their cultivation and animal husbandry routines, and clean up their farm environment.
Vuong Trinh Quoc, Chairman of the Sa Pa municipal People’s Committee, said the local administration has stepped up communications to raise awareness of the benefits of combining agriculture and tourism, and has outlined policies that encourage sustainable development.
According to Quoc, “Giving tourists an experiential form of tourism encourages them to stay longer. Resorts, villages, farms, and other tourist destinations should improve their quality.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lao Cai has received only 300,000 visitors since the beginning of this year, earning about 44 million USD in revenue. This is 30% of what it would have earned before the pandemic.
The province is hoping agricultural tourism will quickly restore their tourism revenues and prove economically sustainable for years to come.