Ecological tourism in Tram Chim national park: potential, opportunity and challenge

ABSTRACT

Although new ecotourism indeed developed from the last years of the twentieth century, it has been receiving considerable attention from the whole society, because of its superiority compared to other types of tourism in terms of responsibility for people, nature, and environment. Ecotourism is becoming popular as visitors begin to pay more attention to minimizing their impact on the beautiful lands they come across. Vietnam has become an ideal place to provide many eco-tourism experiences for tourists interested in the environment. Tram Chim is one of the National Parks in Vietnam that has excellent potential to develop this type of ecotourism as it is considered a “small part“ of the ancient wetland ecosystem. Tram Chim National Park - Ramsar area is of international importance, ranking 2,000th in the world and 4th in Vietnam. Tram Chim National Park attracts many tourists because of its beautiful natural landscape and rare red-crowned crane and many other plants and animals in the Red Book. This article outlines the potentials, current status, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges in ecological tourism development. On that basis, propose some orientations and solutions to promote ecotourism development in Tram Chim National Park in the next time.

KEYWORDS:

• Reservation
• local people
• ecotourism
• biodiversity
• ecosystem

1. Introduction

Tourism development brings many benefits to countries. However, tourism development only focuses on immediate economic benefits without the necessary management and conservation of resources leading to unpredictable consequences of culture, society, and the environment (Tseng et al., 2018). In some cases, the profits from tourism may not be enough to resolve the consequences that tourism has left (Tran & Walter, 2014). Therefore, in order to overcome this “harmless benefit” problem, one of the most effective ways is to promote eco-tourism development in appropriate areas (Gabdrakhmanov et al., 2016). Some people believe that: “Eco-tourism comes from environmental, economic and social concerns. It is one of the ways to repay the natural environment and increase the value of the remaining nature reserves (Mair, 2014). They are stemming from the awareness of the benefits of ecotourism for the preservation of the natural environment, preserving the cultural value of ethnic groups, promoting socio-economic development (Singh et al., 2016). The United Nations chose 2002 as the international year for ecotourism.

Ecotourism is one of the fastest-growing forms of tourism today. Ecotourism seems to be the first form of tourism aimed at sustainable issues in tourism (Cater & Cater, 2015). It has a significant influence in greening the tourism industry, through raising awareness of the importance of protecting the environment and the welfare of the local community for the success of the tourism industry (Das & Chatterjee, 2015). According to the International Ecotourism Association (TIES), launched in 1991: “Tourism is responsible for natural areas to protect the environment and maintain the peaceful life of local people” (TIES – The International Ecotourism Society, 2015). There are also other definitions developed by many conservation and development organizations to clarify the concept of TIES about ecotourism further, but most definitions suggest that ecotourism needs to: contribute to protecting biodiversity and using resources in a sustainable way; maintaining a peaceful life of the local community; focus on education and learning; mobilize the participation of stakeholders, especially local people living near ecotourism sites; emphasizing responsible habits of tourists and the tourism industry; promote more and more fair distribution of benefits (Lowry, 2017).

Ecotourism is part of sustainable tourism as well as nature tourism. Ecotourism is a natural form of tourism, which is strongly associated with cultural tourism and adventure tourism (Lee & Jan, 2019). It is defined with many different modes of tourism, but all towards respect for nature and protect the ecosystem from human influence and influence. Literally, ecotourism often includes travel to places where flora, fauna and cultural heritage are the main attractions (Chen et al., 2019). They provide visitors with insight into the human impact on the environment and hope to promote a greater appreciation of our natural habitat. Another strong point of ecotourism makes this type of tourism a trend in the future. Because it can provide much-needed revenues for the protection of national parks and other natural areas, where financing may not be available from other sources (Xu et al., 2019). However, not all nature tourism is ecotourism. Nature tourism is mere to the natural areas, and the main motive of visitors to these places is to enjoy and admire nature (Torres-Delgado & Saarinen, 2014). Nature tourism can be sustainable or not and does not always involve the preservation of the environment or the prosperous life of the local community. With abundant natural resources and landscapes, plus a diverse culture, Vietnam has great potential to become one of the top eco-tourism destinations in Asia (Tran & Walter, 2014). However, ecotourism in Vietnam, like in many other countries, is still a concept that is often not understood and used correctly (Truong, 2013). That hurts the environment and local people, disappointing visitors.

Ecotourism is a new tourism market segment in Vietnam. Currently, most of the programs to travel to the natural and cultural areas of Vietnam are only in mass or nature tourism, less sustainable, causing damage to the natural environment and local community(Phuong, 2019). For example, while people rush to follow the increasing demand of tourists visiting the island, the biodiversity and beauty of Cat Ba National Park, especially the marine resources and the golden-headed monkey are threatened by poor planning on infrastructure development and tourism-related activities without taking into account the environmental and social costs (Mai & Smith, 2018), (Hoang & Pham, 2018). These problems arise not only in the tourism market for international visitors but also more for the domestic market as the market is much bigger and has a stronger impact than the international market (Zhang et al., 2019). For ecotourism to be successful in Vietnam, the domestic tourism industry needs a radical transformation of how to develop and operate (T. T. N. Nguyen et al., 2016).

Vietnam is a country with great potential for ecotourism development, especially in national parks. Tram Chim is one of the national parks with great potential to develop this type of tourism because Tram Chim also retains almost intact the wetland ecosystem of the flooded Dong Thap Muoi floodplain (Minh et al., 2014). Also, Tram Chim has a Sarus Crane and many other rare and precious birds that are valuable for sightseeing and research activities. Tram Chim National Park was established in December 1998; it is the first national park in the Mekong Delta(T. T. N. Nguyen et al., 2017). Over the years, the National Park has been planned to develop eco-tourism. However, tourism development in the Park still has many shortcomings, such as tourism products overlap between routes. Some figures on the ecosystem of Tram Chim National Park are shown in Figure 1. The staff for tourism is still limited in terms of professional qualifications and facilities, and the technical facilities for tourism are lacking. Therefore, the proper assessment of the potential and current status of tourism development and on that basis has suggestions on orientation and solutions to contribute to promoting ecotourism development in the Tram Chim National Park in the next time is a matter of practical significance.

Figure 1. The diversity of ecosystems in Tram Chim national park.

2. Objectives and methods

2.1. Objectives

This study aims to understand the potential and current status of this type of tourism development. Thereby proposing orientations and solutions to improve operational ability and contribute to the preservation of tourism environment resources, and benefit local people. Specific objectives of the project include: Inventorying and assessing ecological tourism development conditions; Analysis of the status of ecotourism activities in the area. The author has used the theoretical and practical basis of ecotourism in the world and Vietnam to provide orientations and solutions suitable for ecotourism objectives and actual development conditions in the area.

2.2. Methods

Based on the collected documents, the author conducts selection and processing (analysis, synthesis, and comparison) to distill out the necessary information for the research content. During the study, the author has conducted many field visits to collect maps, documents, take photos, interview, visit and also to other famous tourist sites in Dong Thap province (Go Thap relic, Gao Giong eco-tourism area, Xeo Quyt tourist area, Tomb of Nguyen Sinh Sac).

The sociological investigation method was implemented by the author as follows: Author surveyed by questionnaire included: (1) 120 local households in 5 communes and 1 buffer zone town. The time for conducting the survey is from April to July 2018. Non-probability sampling method, the respondents are the head of the household, also farmers are randomly selected, no priority is given to the household. (2) 90 domestic tourists are visiting the National Park. The investigation time is from March to August 2018. The probability of sampling is non-probability and is done according to the stratified random method, i.e. the elements in the selected group are the same, do not prioritize the element at all. (3) Investigators investigated through direct interviews with people, tourists, and tourism experts (tourism business units in the area).

Also, author uses the map method to improve the ability to assess the entire object. The maps used in the research process include Administrative map of Dong Thap province, map of functional zoning planning together with the map of Vegetation and land use status of Tram Chim National Park in 2010 and 2015.

Methods of data analysis are mainly descriptive statistics. This is a method that involves collecting, summarizing, presenting, calculating various characteristics to reflect generally the object of the study. This method is used to analyze information about the interviewee, calculate frequency, average value, maximum value, minimum value, standard deviation … SPSS software is used for coding, analyzing primary data.

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Potential for ecotourism development in Tram Chim national park

Tram Chim is understood to be interspersed with patches of melaleuca forest as bird sanctuaries. Tram Chim National Park with an area of 7,313 ha is located in the territory of 05 communes and Tram Chim town of Tam Nong district, Dong Thap province (Khai & Yabe, 2015). About 76 km from National Highway 1A, about 200 km from Ho Chi Minh City and about 130 km from Can Tho city by car. Visitors from Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho City can make a convenient trip to Tram Chim, including weekend tours. Tram Chim is also quite close to other famous tourist sites in Dong Thap province such as Xeo Quyt Base Area, Tomb Tomb Nguyen Sinh Sac Table, Gao Giong Ecological Tourist Area (T. T. N. Nguyen et al., 2016). These attractions have the advantage of being located near the National Highway 30, so it is possible to connect to create a unique and attractive eco-cultural tour(H. P. Nguyen, 2019b).

The typical ecosystem in Tram Chim National Park is the inland wetland ecosystem characterized by the evergreen broadleaf evergreen closed forest type on acidic soils. Tram Chim is considered an ecological standard of Dong Thap Muoi wetland with 6 typical plant communities: Tram community (3,018.9 ha), grass community (1,965.9 ha), community of Nan (898.8 ha), community of Lua ma (678.4 ha), community of Mom mold (305.1 ha) and Sen community (63.8 ha) (T. T. N. Nguyen et al., 2017). According to the survey data, there are about 130 plant species in Tram Chim National Park, including 14 woody species, 2 shrubs, 5 vines, and 109 herbaceous species (Le & Truong, 2016). Tram Chim National Park has 198 bird species belonging to 49 families, accounting for about a quarter of the bird species in Vietnam, of which 16 are globally threatened including White-winged Ngan, Sarus Crane, Choi black backs, Yellow Te, Black Eagle, Deng Cheng, Chinese White Stork, Sumatra heron, Black-headed stork, Spoonbill, Gray-legged stork, Indian stork, Stork, Java-tailed deer, old-high Adjutant (Vu & Le, 2015). These are also rare bird species in the National Park. The system of dense cajuput root is the place where many species of animals live and lay eggs such as shellfish, crabs, turtles, turtles, frogs, frogs, … Besides, the diversity of vegetation has created habitat for many reptiles (pythons, snakes, turtles, eels, …) (H. P. Nguyen, 2020b). In addition to the animals mentioned above, in Tram Chim National Park, there are many species of fish, such as snakehead fish, perch, carp, and catfish. The diversity and abundance of the plant mentioned above and animal species is an essential basis for the National Park to build tourism products to serve the needs of sightseeing, research, and entertainment for tourists (Vu & Le, 2015).

Every year Tram Chim National Park and the buffer zone have a floating water season lasting about 4 months (July to October of the lunar calendar). Floating water is the factor that leads to the formation of people’s way of life and living in stilt houses (H. P. Nguyen, 2019a). Floating water season is also a time when local people earn their living in the following forms: putting roofs, ignoring, spreading fishing nets, catching nets, and catching ghost rice and madam cotton (Ramsar, 2012). Visiting Tram Chim National Park during the floating season, visitors learn about the exciting meaningful working and living scenes of people. The floating season is also the time when the products in the region are diverse and abundant (H. P. Nguyen, 2020a). Exploiting the products in the buffer zone during the floating season to serve the culinary needs of travelers is also a motivation for visitors to Tram Chim National Park more and more (Tan et al., 2012). According to sociological survey results for 90 visitors: 34.6% of tourists said that Tram Chim National Park attracted them because of the beautiful landscape and pristine environment; 30.9% answered because of the typical wetland ecosystem in Dong Thap Muoi; 30.0% of tourists answered because of the Sarus Crane; 17.3% answered that it is a suitable place for recreational fishing; and 14.8% answered because of the lives of wetland people (Minh et al., 2014). Road transport system to Tram Chim National Park is quite convenient according to National Road 30, Provincial Road 855, 844 and 843. Electricity and water supply system (Pham & Hoang, 2019); Communication system in Tam Nong district in general, National Park buffer zone, in particular, is quite complete. These are favorable conditions to promote ecotourism development in the National Park (Vu & Le, 2015).

Based on the combination of attractive factors and development conditions as above, it is creating advantages in ecotourism development in Tram Chim National Park compared to other national parks in the Mekong Delta region. In the future, exploiting natural, cultural, and social factors to serve tourism development towards real eco-tourism will bring considerable benefits to Tram Chim. Not only in terms of conserving natural resources but also promoting socio-economic development for buffer zone residents.

3.2. Current status of ecotourism development in Tram Chim national park

Only after one year since being recognized as a National Park, the National Park Management Board has organized to welcome tourists for both visiting and studying. The total number of tourists increased quite rapidly in recent years and achieved an average growth rate of 14% per year (2014–2018). Among total tourists to Tram Chim, domestic tourists always account for a high proportion and increase an average of 15.0%/year. Meanwhile, Figure 2 shows that international visitors are somewhat more modest and have a growth rate of 0.9% per year.

Figure 2. Number of tourists to Tram Chim National Park during 2014–2018.

International tourists to Tram Chim National Park are mainly visiting and researching. Meanwhile, domestic tourists come to Tram Chim for more purposes: 59.3% visiting; 23.5% studying and researching; 22.2% of recreational fishing. Time visitors stay in the National Park: 50.6% less than 1 day; 28.4% from 1 to 2 days; 21.1% from 2 to 3 days; No visitors answered that stayed for more than 3 days. Tourist accommodation: 42.0% in the national park’s guesthouse; 32.3% in motels near the National Park; 13.0% live in houses and 3.2% in tents. Eating and drinking conditions of visitors: 51.6% provided by the service department in the National Park; 32.3% of guests bring their food; 22.6% of guests eat at restaurants and bars near the National Park; 9.7% of guests eat at people’s houses.

In the years 2014–2018, the revenue from tourism in Tram Chim National Park saw a remarkable growth (37.6%) although the total revenue is still quite modest (there has not been a year in which total tourism revenue in The national park achieved a figure of 400,000,000 VND. Based on Figure 3, it shows that in Tram Chim National Park’s tourism revenue structure, there are 4 basic types: accommodation services, transportation services, fishing services and other services (guide fee, selling souvenirs, entrance fees). In particular, fishing services account for the most significant proportion (45.5%), transport services (33.0%), accommodation services (16.5%) and the lowest is other services (50%). However, fishing is not an exact ecotourism product and most fishers for commercial purposes rather than entertainment (H. P. Nguyen, 2019a).

Figure 3. Tourism revenue in Tram Chim national park during 2014–2018.

Industrial facilities for tourism in Tram Chim National Park can be divided into two groups. Group of technical facilities under the management of the National Park: the guesthouse has all 07 rooms, accommodating about 21 people/night; 01 restaurants can serve about 100 guests at the same time; 03 grenades can carry between 27 and 36 people/turn; 01 visitor center can receive about 30–40 people at the same time; 01 tennis court, 6 observation decks, 01 rest house in the middle of the forest. The group of technical and material facilities of people in buffer zone communes and towns has about 09 guest houses capable of receiving 180 visitors/night. With such technical facilities for tourism, it does not guarantee the tourist needs of tourists on peak days. In 2018, the staff and staff in the Tourism Board of the National Park had all 11 members. Education level is diversified: 36.4% at the general level, 18.2% at the intermediate level, 18.1% at the college level, and 27.3% at the university level. Thereby, the education level of staff in the National Park Tourism Board is still low. This is reflected in the fact that more than 50% of people are at the intermediate level or below. So it is impossible to say that the quality of the staff of the National Park Tourism Board is high. Besides, there is a lack of quantity.

The National Park Tourism Board has built and put into operation several tourist routes in the A1 area of the National Park. All tourist routes have a similar landscape. When visiting any route, visitors will have the opportunity to see melaleuca forest, grass, grass, mouth, rice ghost, strawberry flower; animal species such as white stork, ghost stork, nipple flu and gongs. When visiting, visitors are forced to sit on a grove running along the canals that creep in the National Park, then go home to rest between forests or observation huts for sightseeing, taking pictures, fishing, eating and drinking. When the activities are completed, visitors continue to go down to visit the rest of the road and return to the original starting place. This is one of the reasons that few tourists return to Tram Chim in the next time because tourism products are not diverse and attractive.

In order to achieve the goal of preserving the National Park resources, in the past years, the Tourism Board has carried out the following tasks: presenting a video disc within 30 minutes of introducing the National Park at the Visitor Center; distribute leaflets introducing the National Park’s biodiversity with messages to visitors to protect natural resources; Even at the center of visitors’ center, there is a table of sightseeing rules; open classes to educate the environment for local people in the buffer zone. These activities have a significant effect on protecting natural resources and the environment in the National Park in recent years. However, the means of conveying environmental education content is still small and has not caused much attention for many visitors; the explanation of the tour guide is weak and formal.

Currently, tourism activities in the National Park have not had any financial contribution to support the conservation of the National Park. One of the crucial reasons is that annual tourism revenue is too modest. Creating conditions for local people to participate directly in tourism activities in the National Park and bring benefits to them in the past years has not seen. According to the survey results, local people showed that 100% of the respondents said that they had not received any benefits (from a linear perspective) from tourism in the National Park. Meanwhile, Figure 4 shows that local people have a great need to participate in tourism activities.

Figure 4. Tourist activities that local people want to participate in Tram Chim National Park.

Figure 5 shows that farmers have many aspirations when participating in tourism activities. Through the current status of tourism development in Tram Chim National Park, it shows that tourists to Tram Chim National Park in recent years are still too modest, which has affected tourism revenue and employment for local people and financial support for resource conservation in the National Park. Educational activities, interpretations about the environment are available but have not done well.

Figure 5. Aspiration of local people when participating in tourism activities.

4. Orientations and solutions to propose ecotourism development in the national park

4.1. Strengths – weaknesses – opportunities and challenges in ecotourism development in Tram Chim National Park

4.1.1. Strengths

Tram Chim National Park also preserves the typical wetland ecosystem for ancient Dong Thap Muoi; Since scientists claim that Tram Chim is home to the Sarus Crane, Tram Chim has created its image not only in the country but also in the world.

4.1.2. Weaknesses

The staff and staff in the Tourism Board of the National Park are still limited in their professional qualifications and skills; material and technical facilities for tourism lack, especially accommodation establishments, vehicles, and support services; tourism products are almost the same between routes; Tourism activities in Tram Chim National Park are strongly influenced by seasonality.

4.1.3. Opportunities

International and domestic tourism demand are on the rise; Tram Chim National Park receives exceptional support from many international organizations and non-governmental organizations.

4.1.4. Challenges

Illegal intrusion by local people and cattle into the Park is not open, but it happens every day; land disputes between local people and the National Park still occur; Forest fires can occur at any time during the dry season; An increasing number of invasive plants of mimosa.

4.2. Orientations and solutions for ecotourism development in Tram Chim national park

Specific orientations for ecotourism development in Tram Chim National Park are determined based on analyzing the potential, status, strengths – weaknesses – opportunities, and challenges in developing ecotourism. Crown in the National Park; based on the overall development orientation of Dong Thap tourism in the period of 2015–2025 approved by the Provincial People’s Committee:

4.2.1. Orientation of tourism products and guest markets

Based on the characteristics and preferences of tourist markets and the ability to develop tourism products of Tram Chim National Park; The corresponding product development orientation for each significant market is as follows: The US, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan markets pay much attention to authentic eco-tourism products; Chinese and Southeast Asian markets are very interested in natural tourism products; The market of domestic tourists is more interested in tourism products that are more interesting than studying and researching.

4.2.2. Orientation for development of sightseeing routes

In A1 area, in addition to continuing to exploit waterway routes, it will form an additional road travel route along the National Park’s embankment with personal sightseeing vehicles or the Tourist Center. In zone A2, several tourist routes will be built: Route of tourist center – Station A3 – Station C6 – Tourist center, tourist capacity for this route 96 guests/day. Tourist Center Line – Station A3 – Phu Duc Channel II – Quyet Thang Station – Ca Dam Canal – Tourist Center, tourist capacity of this route is 66 visitors/day. In addition to the tourist routes by waterway, Zone A2 also has a road tour to visit using terrain bike running on the surrounding dike road.

4.2.3. Orientation of tourism infrastructure development

In order to facilitate ecotourism development in Tram Chim National Park in the coming time, some infrastructure development orientations include: completing car parks in near the Garden on the land for administrative and service areas; Continue to build 02 more berths for tourist tours (01 boat station in A1 and 01 boat station in zone A2); Electricity and water supply systems; Waste collection and treatment system at the accommodation area is expected to be built in the future.

4.2.4. Orientation for construction of tourism technical facilities

Using a part of existing premises at the parking lot of the National Park to build some service works (eating, shopping, souvenir) in order to meet responding to the needs of tourists, eating and shopping. Equip additional facilities for sightseeing tours, especially dinghy, machinery, mountain bikes, and sight-seeing equipment.

4.2.5. Environmental education orientation

Developing Visitor Center into an environmental education center to provide full information about the National Park, and incorporating more responsible content for environmental issues; Improve understanding of biodiversity and environmental knowledge for tour guides; Build more materials to introduce biodiversity and regulations on environmental protection in the National Park; Continue to open propaganda classes on the need to conserve biodiversity in the National Park and forest fire prevention for local people in buffer zone communes and towns.

4.2.6. Orientation to encourage the participation of local communities in tourism activities

According to data provided by People’s Committees in 05 communes and 01 towns in the buffer zone of the National Park, the number of poor and near-poor households here still accounts for a large proportion. In 2018, the whole area had 441 poor households (accounting for 3.6%) and 1,532 near-poor households (accounting for 12.6%) of the total of 12,117 households. Due to the complicated life, people illegally penetrate the garden to catch fish, catch bees, and even release buffaloes and cows to feed. These actions significantly affect the conservation of biodiversity in the National Park in general and ecotourism resources in particular. Based on the socio-economic development situation and the development level of the community in the buffer zone communes and towns; Based on the need for community participation in tourism development in Figure 4, the ways in which communities can participate in ecotourism development in Tram Chim National Park include: Canoeing sightseeing; Drive the visitors to take a tour; Providing catering services to visitors with local specialties; Producing and selling souvenirs with traditional items (book baskets, water hyacinth carpets); As a guide to guide visitors; Providing accommodation and entertainment services for tourists; Produce and provide food on-site for visitors. Proposals and solutions aimed at overcoming problems and obstacles in the process of tourism activities in the National Park over time. At the same time, tourism activities are still inadequate for ecotourism activities. Specific recommendations and solutions:

4.2.7. Improving infrastructure, technical facilities suitable for ecotourism

Need to upgrade to complete the dike road surrounding A1 area; upgrade the dike road in zone A2 to facilitate both dry and rainy seasons for visitors. Construct dining, shopping, accommodation and entertainment places in zone C of the National Park to reduce pressure on protected areas; The wharf in the Tourist Center needs to be rebuilt to make it easy for visitors to take a boat to visit; The rest house in the forest in A1 area should be roofed with more cooling materials but suitable for ecological landscape.

4.2.8. Enhance environmental education in ecotourism

Design and disseminate appropriate leaflets and leaflets; strengthening communication facilities and environmental education on sightseeing routes; strengthening activities of the welcome center; Environmental education activities for local people should continue to be implemented in the following years.

4.2.9. Management solutions

Need to manage tourism activities in the National Park according to planning. Besides, it is necessary to issue administrative procedures, guidelines as well as regulations on tourism activities. Tourism activities can be managed by giving priority to the guests with average numbers and pre-registration (to regulate the number of tourists); linking with other tourist destinations in the province to form a package tour (overcoming the seasonality of tourism).

4.2.10. Solution on policy mechanism

Tax exemption and reduction should be applied to components participating in providing tourism services in some first years; Create conditions for domestic and foreign economic sectors to directly or jointly exploit, invest and trade in tourism; Simplify administrative procedures to attract investors; Encourage participants in the tourism business in the area to support financial resources for conservation.

4.2.11. Solutions to encourage the participation of local communities in tourism activities

In general, the majority of people in the buffer zone of the National Park are still miserable, and their educational level is not high. Therefore, they need help in many ways when participating in tourism activities. According to Figure 5, so that people can effectively participate in ecotourism activities necessarily: initial capital support so that the community can create products and provide services to tourists. If they have a need, training and retraining to contribute to improving the community’s understanding of community benefits and responsibilities for tourism activities; Training and retraining skills and professional skills for the community on guidance, communication, and service.

4.2.12. Training solutions

Short-term training courses should be opened for staff and staff in the National Park Tourism Board on tourism issues in general and eco-tourism in particular; Organizing many field trips for staff and staff in the National Park’s Tourism Board to typical domestic ecotourism sites to have opportunities to interact, exchange and learn dispatching a number of qualified officials and employees to study and improve the level of tourism at home and abroad, especially in countries with experiences in ecotourism such as the US, Australia, New Zealand, …; Should receive and train additional instructors who are local people; Pay attention to training and retraining to improve foreign language skills for officials and employees of the National Park Tourism Board to facilitate the reception, serve international tourists and can smoothly go abroad to practice study when conditions permit.

4.2.13. Marketing solutions

Strengthening the publication of travel publications, guidebooks, leaflets introducing the National Park to widely disseminate to many different objects both at home and abroad; Using a variety of information and communication facilities such as the Internet, television, to widely introduce the National Park image to the public; Combined with many other tourist sites in Dong Thap province such as: Historical relic site of Deputy General Nguyen Sinh Sac, Go Thap historical and cultural relic area, Xeo Quyt relic area, Gao Giong eco-tourism area, … in promoting Tram Chim tourism. It is necessary to distribute survey forms to get visitors’ opinions on a number of visits to the National Park to assess the strengths, weaknesses, weaknesses, and weaknesses that can be used for marketing as well as timely adjustments during transportation.

4.2.14. Solution on investment cooperation

Strengthening cooperation with domestic and international organizations on research, training and experience exchange in planning, managing and operating ecotourism; continue to cooperate with international organizations: World Conservation Organization, International Fund for Natural Resources Protection, International Crane Society, … ; Cooperating and calling for the support of industries and experts in the formulation of research projects and planning for ecotourism development; Calling for investment capital from the Government, businesses and individuals to build infrastructure, material and technical facilities for tourism; Cooperating with universities around the world, Vietnamese universities to research and eradicate mimosa trees to limit its impact on biodiversity in the National Park; Coordinating with scientists and experts on the protection of wetland ecosystems to study and find appropriate measures to regulate water volume, and at the same time get effective solutions for prevention “fire” in the dry season.

5. Conclusion

Based on research on ecotourism development in Tram Chim National Park, Tam Nong district, Dong Thap province, some conclusions can be drawn as follows: Tram Chim is one of the National Parks with many advantages to ecotourism development. This place also retains almost intact the wetland ecosystem of ancient Dong Thap Muoi in particular and the Mekong Delta plain in general. Also, the inhabitants of the National Park buffer zone have the cultural and cultural features with the cultural nuances of the flooded areas, but only in Dong Thap Muoi and Long Xuyen Quadrangles. Over the years, the Management Board has developed eco-tourism within the National Park to preserve the region’s precious resources. Since the tourism business, many delegations have come here to visit, study, and study. As a result, the National Park has additional income. However, the number of tourists and annual tourism revenue is still modest, so the Management Board has not created conditions for local people to participate in tourism activities in the National Park and yet to bring benefits. What for them to consider directly from travel. On the other hand, the contribution of funds for conservation in the National Park through tourism revenue is not yet available. Therefore, the financial resources for conservation in the National Park are still mainly from the State and the support of some non-governmental organizations in the world. In the future, it is necessary to promote the development of ecotourism in the National Park to provide financial resources for conservation and benefit the local community.

Activities related to environmental education for visitors and locals in the National Park over the years have been implemented through the Visitor Center and the Tourism Board staff. However, there are still many problems that need to be overcome in order to maximize the role of environmental education in forming attitudes, the responsibility of tourists, and residents for tourism resources and the environment. Tourism in Tram Chim National Park is nature-based ecotourism, not an eco-tourism. This is a common point for all national parks in Vietnam at present. Therefore, Tram Chim National Park Management and Tourism Board should carefully study the theoretical and practical basis of ecotourism in the world as well as in Vietnam to apply it to tourism development. Tram Chim in the direction of real eco-tourism will bring many benefits to the conservation of natural resources and the development of the local community.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.