Ninh Binh (VNS/VNA) - Do Thi Tuyen remembered the early days when she joined a touristboat team in her hometown in the northern province of Ninh Binh in 2003.

Tuyen was among 20 people to give boat tours to visitors. Theeco-tourism area was under construction and received few visitors, so she wasmainly transporting experts and workers to work in the area.

Like most villagers in Hoa Lu district’s Truong Yen commune, Tuyenwas struggling to earn a living with unstable income from raising rice crops.She decided to leave her field behind and try a new job, hoping things would bebetter.

The 40-year-old woman has nothing to regret. The eco-tourism area,known as Trang An Landscape Complex, has become a World Cultural and NaturalHeritage Site, comprising well-known tourism areas in five districts and citiesof Ninh Binh on an area of 12,252 hectares.

In Tuyen’s commune, the tourism facilities attract more than100,000 tourists each year. The job has improved her income and changed herlife significantly.

“My income has been stable, and I have chances to talk and learnfrom domestic and foreign tourists,” she said.

“Tourism brings me and many boatwomen here good things. We aredetermined to protect the tourist area,” she shared.

Hoang Thi Thu Huong, Deputy Head of the Management Board of TrangAn Scenic Landscape Complex, said that the tourist area is creating jobs for1,300 boat drivers, mainly women aged 45-60, with a monthly salary of 5-6million VND (212-255 USD).

The labourers join regular training programmes to be equipped withskills and raise their awareness on the importance of tourism development.

“The area always tries to ensure a stable source of income toattract more and more local people to participate in tourism activities,” shesaid.

Previously, people living in Trang An Scenic Landscape Complexearned their living by farming, doing animal husbandry and handicrafts.

Tourism development has enriched the livelihoods of localresidents. The economic structure is rapidly shifting from agriculture andhandicrafts to services. Many have switched jobs in tourism services such asgiving accommodation, boat tours, community-based travel services or openingrestaurants.

Agricultural production only accounts for 15% of the economicstructure of the heritage area.

Statistics from the Management Board of the Trang An ScenicLandscape Complex showed that currently, about 50,000 people are living in theheritage site. Of that, more than 14,000 are living in the core area of thecomplex.

The complex has created jobs for about 30,000 labourers. Localpeople are involved in the protection and management of heritage, andcontribute ideas to develop mechanisms and policies to ensure harmony betweenheritage conservation and their sustainable livelihoods.

Apart from creating sustainable livelihoods for local people,tourism development has also contributed to restoring traditional culturalvalues that are at risk of extinction.

In 1994, only about 10 households in Ninh Hai commune madehand-embroidered products, the traditional embroidery craft of the commune, asthey were ordered from handicraft export companies.

After 2014, when the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex receivedWorld Cultural and Natural Heritage recognition, hundreds of households in thecommune have turned to the traditional career due to the sharp increase in thenumber of tourists, especially international visitors, to the area.

Tourism activities have become an important trade promotionchannel, expanding the brand name of Ninh Hai embroidery handicraft andattracting orders to purchase the products.

Currently, traditional embroidery is creating jobs for hundreds oflocal people.

In other communes, traditional crafts have been restored, such asfine art stone craft in Ninh Van commune. Local people can improve their incomeby doing traditional handicrafts or giving homestay services and tour guidesfor visitors.

By the end of this year, roughly 200 out of 256 accommodationservices use the homestay model in Hoa Lu district.

In order to harmonise between heritage preservation andsustainable livelihoods for people in the heritage area, Vice Chairman of the HoaLu District People's Committee Hoang Ngoc Hoa said the committee will set up adetailed plan of residential areas in both core and buffer zones of theheritage as a basis for land and construction management and the building oftourist zones and community-based tourism sites.

The committee will accelerate investment in tourism facilities anddevelop policies to support people in building high quality agriculturalproduction models associated with tourism development.

Labourers will be trained to improve skills and knowledge oftourism, foreign languages and a sense of hospitality and politeness incommunication.

This will help maintain traditional livelihoods and create newmoney-earning methods for local people while preserving and developing thevalue of the heritage, he said./.