Second Trip Begins - Sapa Arrival

All the packing and planning; the three hot days in Hanoi finalizing the training materials and lesson plans; the night train, and the one hour drive up to Sapa, have added up to this: our arrival in Sapa!

Even though we were greeted by our Hmong friends in the rain, we are all happy and safe. Our morning included a short walk to a favorite breakfast spot followed by a trip to the market. In the lobby of the hotel we are pleased with our purchases of umbrellas and rubber boots.

We can see blue patches of sky trying to make their way through the clouds. The sun should be out soon!

New CBT team members

Two new members have been added to the project team. From Capilano University's Tourism Faculty, Kim McLeod and Jen Reilly both have a wealth of experience in planning, resource management and tourism.

Kim's education began with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography (minor in Arachaeology) from Simon Fraser University. As her studies continued, her focus expanded to centre on sustainable tourism and she received a Master of Resource Management from Simon Fraser University. As a tourism consultant, Kim has played a key role in a number of projects in British Columbia including assessing best practices and developing new products for Aboriginal tourism, playing a fundamental role in crafting the Whistler Environmental Strategy, developing agritourism product for the Canadian Farm Business Management Council, and more. Kim is currently the convenor of the Bachelor of Tourism Management at Capilano University and teaches in the Faculty of Tourism and Outdoor Recreation. She is also the chair of the British Columbia Tourism Management Articulation Committee.

Jen has spent the last 15 years immersed in the tourism industry. Her experiences in the tourism industry include a combination of tourism research and planning, and work in the adventure tourism sector. After completing an Adventure Travel Guide Diploma and Bachelor of Tourism Management from Thompson Rivers University, Jen owned and operated a successful adventure tourism company in Squamish, BC. Jen then continued her education with a Master of Resource Management (Planning) from Simon Fraser University. Currently, Jen teaches in the Faculty of Tourism and Outdoor Recreation and Applied Business Technology at Capilano University, and also works as a consultant doing a variety of tourism research and planning.

Homestay Training in Lao Chai

The primary trekking product in Sapa is a three hour trek, for the most part descending into Tavan. For many years this has been the route for tourists and Tavan has seen rapid development. But along the way, Lao Chai has merely become a place where many have lunch in Vietnamese owned restaurants set up along the trail, and take pictures of the quaint Black Hmong village communes.

There is yet to be a network of true Hmong homestays for the intrepid traveller who truly wants to be cultured. In recent years, the Capilano University / Hanoi Open University community-based tourism project funded by CIDA built capacity of some Red Dao residents in Taphin. The homestays, although not as busy as the ones in Tavan, have been an enormous success with the locals who have set them up, the tour operators, and the tourists.

Over the next two years, the Sapa Authority has asked if Capilano University would agree to bring some of that expertise and knowledge to the Hmong people in Lao Chai. With enthusiasm we have agreed, focusing only on homestay development. Members of the Lao Chai Hmong community have also expressed their enthusiasm.

First Trip Complete. Needs Assessment. Outcomes.

Chris Bottrill (Dean, Faculty of Tourism, Capilano University) and Chris Carnovale (Capilano Tourism Graduate) completed the first of seven trips to Sapa early July. Along with Tran Nu Ngoc Anh (Vice Head of Tourism Lecturer) and student Bich, from Hanoi Open University, the team conducted a needs assessment and secured partnerships with the Sapa Authority, Sapa Sport Culture and Tourism, and the Taphin Community.

Among the activities on our first trip, meetings, discussions, interviews and workshops were held with:

• Regional and local governments;
• Local women / street-sellers;
• Small local business owners;
• School teachers;
• Women's Union;
• Local youth;
• Sapa tour guides;
• Sapa tour operators.

The key issues that arose in the meetings, discussions, interviews, workshops, and observations included:

Positive Results

• Tourists' homestay experiences have been generally positive for tourists;
• All stakeholder groups are aware of problems associated with aggressive street-sellers;
• Street-sellers and community members see the benefit of setting up a type of stall/market for selling to tourists;
• Community groups have expressed a willingness to learn;
• Local community members have recommended topics for possible training areas;
• Community has shown an increase in self-confidence;
  

Challenges

• Street-sellers are hurting the tourist experience in Taphin village, especially on half-day trips from Sapa;
• Street-sellers do not understand the negative impact they are having and how to change;
• There are communication gaps between the tourism networks (government, community, private sector);
• The community does not yet know how to get together to solve their tourism-related problems;
• Individual people and stakeholder groups work separately from each other;
• A lack of capacity (skills, knowledge, and resources) for business development exists in the community;
• Village is looking increasingly dirty and locals do not know how to manage the environment;
• Villagers are discontent about the current outdoor market (opened the weekend we arrived) for various reasons.
  

Training Plan

• Training for local community members of Taphin in: business development, understanding the tourist, better selling skills, looking after the environment, and developing events;
• Training for local government on community based tourism planning;
• Planning for a Taphin community house that is a central place for community members and tourists, and designed by locals for locals.

Taphin Street-sellers Abound

The small town of Taphin is still quiet and quaint at 9am. Local Red Dao women are sitting in small groups, sewing, and gossiping about their husbands. Dogs, chickens, even a lonely buffalo are making their way at a healthy pace that mimics the gentle breeze coming down from the hills. In the surrounding hills, above the terraced rice paddies are the small communes of about 25 families each, where all these women have come from. They are sitting at the entry to Taphin village waiting. Waiting for the tourists.

You can first hear, then see the tourist buses and jeeps making their way down the last hill before the village. Then it is a free-for-all of activity and chatter. The women jump out of their focus on their needle and thread, throw their bamboo baskets - doubling as small shops - on their backs and latch onto a potential buyer.

They are selling a variety of brocade items as souvenirs. Some extremely high-quality hand-bags and hats from authentically Red Dao, others bought wholesale from other local tribes or from factories.

This scene happens twice a day - in the morning, and again just after lunch. Some tourists don't mind local women accompanying them as they walk the one main road to the Taphin cave and back. Yet, there have been others who would rather not have the local sellers follow them through the village, and some have actually had an unpleasant experience.

Is it a logistical problem? Challenges with regards to equal benefits being shared with community members? Could it be an act of desperation? Does the key to the solution lay in the tour guides? Or, is that the locals do not understand that if this activity continues, the tour companies bringing the tourists will stop coming?

First Impressions. Return Trip to Sapa; Taphin

Still as busy as ever, Sapa remains an attractive destination for international and, more so, Vietnam's domestic market. The colourful Sapa markets were packed with tourists and the usual local street sellers.

In Taphin village, a story of mixed opinions has evolved since the last time Capilano University was there (3 years ago). Slightly increasing were the numbers of overnight stays. Complementary to that was a sustainable increase in the number of homestays and guest houses.

However, according to the companies that were running day-trips to village, a plan to cut back the number of trips was in effect. The reason: the high number of street-sellers combined with visitor dissatisfaction as a result of 'impolite' locals and arguments between the street-sellers themselves and the tourists.

Capilano University / PATA partnership

Building off of a successful five year Community Based Tourism Training Project funded by the Canadian International Development agency, Capilano University has partnered with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in an effort to further the tourism capacities in Taphin village.

The initial project - a CIDA funded capacity building project from 2002 - 2007 - delivered training in two villages within the Sapa region. In Tavan and Taphin, training in English, tourism product development, food safety, first aid, sanitation and maintenance, homestay development, and HIV / AIDS awareness were offered to community members. In addition, 50 ethnic tour guides and 20 Vietnamese guides working in the Sapa region were trained in tour guiding skills.

"training will be delivered in business development, entrepreneurship, understanding the tourist, better selling skills, environmental stewardship, community tourism planning"

For the next two years, student and faculty trainers from Capilano University and Hanoi Open University will continue what was started in the previous project, focusing on the village of Taphin. Training will be delivered in business development, understanding the tourist, better selling skills, and environmental stewardship. Attention will be placed on the local women and youth. Training in community tourism planning will also be delivered to local government.

Sapa

A colourful mosaic of culture, ethnic markets, and inspiring landscapes, Sapa has attracted visitors for almost one hundred years. Located in the northern province of Lao Cai, the area was first developed as a mountain retreat for the French colonists.

"visitors are welcomed by an unavoidable friendliness."

Sapa has become a favorite destination on Vietnam’s tourist list. Beyond the tourist centre lies a network of ethnic villages, home to the Black H’mong, Red Dao, Day, and Tay. Connected by a web of trekking possibilities, visitors are welcomed by cooler temperatures and an unavoidable friendliness.

Tourism has played a contentious role in the growth of Sapa throughout its history. As in most tourist destinations, both negative and positive impacts are evident. As tourism continues to develop, safeguards and proper training will be crucial in the sustainability of both the ecology of Sapa and the integrity of its communities.