Sa Pa's Tourism Development

It goes without question that tourism development alters the places where it occurs. How it alters these places and whether the results are positive or negative depend largely on how the complexity of development is managed. From a sustainability standpoint, tourism development occurring in an “ideal way” will result in widespread economic benefits for the local community, and tourism that doesn't degrade the local/natural environment or the well-being of the local people. The question is: what factors cause a destination to transform in a way that allows it to achieve these ideals?

The Sa Pa region of northern Vietnam is one that changed immensely through tourism development. Since the early 1900s when the French utilized Sa Pa as a holiday destination for the military, the area has experienced fluctuating levels of tourism. In the late 1940's visitation was halted completely when the region was attacked by Viet Minh. It wasn't until the 1990s that it picked up again, and is now showing little sign of slowing down.

The construction of a new hotels in Sa Pa town.

When you go to Sa Pa today, the “hustle and bustle” that comes along with tourism development is visible across all corners of town. One major enabler of the tourism industry’s growth is the recent addition of a national expressway that was built in 2014. Cutting the journey from Hanoi to Lao Cai (Sa Pa’s closest major city) in half, the new route has resulted in a steady influx of domestic tourists who travel to the mountain town on weekend getaways.

In addition to the growing weekend crowds, other signs of development are very noticeable. The construction of several large hotels is underway throughout the town, a new cable car is now operating on Mount Fanispan, and more and more locals from the surrounding villages are opening up homestays. On top of all this, a new domestic airport to serve Sa Pa has been proposed.

So, as Sa Pa town and the surrounding villages enter this new phase of tourism development, the question remains: what steps need to be taken in order to ensure that this development occurs in a way that is sustainable from environmental, socio-cultural and economic standpoints? Many believe that a community-based approach to tourism (one that is advocated by our team at CBT Vietnam), where the development is managed collectively by the local people is the optimum approach to sustainable tourism development.

It is our hope that as this region’s tourism industry continues to grow, that the local people from both the town and the surrounding villages will be able to work together using a community-based approach to achieve tourism development that is truly sustainable.

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The Homestay Development in Sapa

A visit to the local tour operators in Hanoi revealed that the current tourism development in Sapa is lacking clear structure. Sapa is facing an increase in tourist visitations, but with the lack of facilities and amenities, the region is slowly reaching its capacity and becoming overcrowded. The tour operators in Hanoi have been seeing the rapidly increasing demand for homestays, but as many homes do not meet the criteria of the tour operators, they are not considered for their clients. Simultaneously, some villagers are not motivated to upgrade their homes, because they had yet to witness the influx of tourists in the village themselves; this creates a problematic catch-22 situation.

Meeting with Mr. Hoang Nguyen, HandSpan Travel IndoChina

Mr. Hoang Nguyen, the Vice Director of HandSpan Travel Indochina shared that his experiences working with the local women of Sapa have been positive- but not without its own set of challenges. He has the drive to work directly with the locals there, because it helped him create authentic experiences for his clients, and because it also helped enrich the lives of the local community. According to Mr. Hoang, he felt that enforcing modern living standards and infrastructure in the homes would challenge the truly authentic village experience. To quote him, “the soul of the homestay is important”.  

Late last summer, our CBT Vietnam project linked the Hmong women of Lao Chai with the tour operators of Hanoi, by bringing a small group of women to the big city. One of the women's meetings was with HandSpan Travel Indochina. When they met with Mr. Hoang’s company, the representatives liked the women's proposal and took the opportunity to form a business partnership with them. Unfortunately, he still struggles to meet the demand of his clients, because there wasn’t enough developed homestays. He felt that HandSpan simply required more support from larger tour operators to affect real change. In fact, he has already tried calling the big players to encourage them to work with the locals more, and use local services (like staying at homestays and eating traditional home cooked meals). He believes that those companies can and should assist with the development because they possess a larger client base and expertise.

In the village of TaPhin, Lao Cai, Vietnam

Looking into the future, the homestay owners still need some support from companies to develop the structures and systems needed for a tourist destination to thrive. If both parties can come together and form a synergetic relationship, then the goal can be accomplished and the needs of both parties can be met.

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Mount Fansipan Cable Car: Top 3 Opportunities for Sustainable Tourism?

The view from Mount Fansipan (Photo: Jessica Hancock) 

The 3,413 meter Mount Fansipan, known as the Roof of Indochina, can now be summited in a mere 600 steps - a journey that previously demanded two arduous days of trekking. The record-breaking cable car was opened to the public in February 2016 and has the capacity to transport up to 2,000 people per hour up the mountain. To put this in perspective, that’s the same number of people that summited Fansipan in 2013. 

The 6,282-meter cable car holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest and a second Guinness World Record for highest ascent (1,410 meters). Quite an accomplishment for a fifteen-minute ride. The cable car isn’t the first display of modernity to land on Fansipan. Nearly a year before the cable car opened, the third-largest mobile operator in Vietnam installed transceiver stations on the mountain to establish 3G connection. 

Cable car guests on Mount Fansipan (Photo credit unknown)

Opinions about the cable car have been polarized. Proponents point to successful projects elsewhere in the world; they claim the cable car will provide economic opportunities, modernize tourism in Sapa and draw more tourists. Opponents, primarily biologists, conservationists and birders, are troubled about the impacts of mass tourism in the ecologically sensitive area.  Others lament the loss of meaning and value. One Hanoi local explains:

"I personally climbed the mountain last week. It was a very long and hard journey. It took my friends and me three full days to reach the top. What we got out of the experience was not just the scenery, but more importantly the feeling that we had achieved something worthwhile". 

Cable car ascent (Photo: Voice of Vietnam)

Fansipan is located nine kilometers southwest of Sapa Town and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam, and it's just on the doorstep of CBT Vietnam villages Lao Chai, Taphin, Tavan and Ban Ho. The engine of change has been set in motion and now we must look forward. We present three tangible opportunities for Sapa. 

1. Leadership in Accessible Tourism

Advocates of accessible tourism aspire to design tourism products that are available to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age. The Mount Fansipan cable car offers access to those previously unable to summit. 

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) endorses "universal design", which is a holistic approach aimed at accommodating the needs of all people. According to UNWTO Secretary-General Tale Rifai, “accessibility is a central element of any responsible and sustainable tourism policy". 

Will Sapa's decision-maker's integrate accessibility into subsequent development phases of tourism infrastructure? 

2. Leadership in Ecological Research 

In 2014 a new species of frog was discovered on Mount Fansipan by a team of Vietnamese and Australian scientists. What's more, research conducted globally indicates that monitoring impacts of cable car access is vital to successful management. For example, Polish scientists have assessed the impact of cable car expansion on the Tatra Mountain's high-altitude ecosystem. They uncovered evidence that tourist pressure reduced herd size of the chamois species. 

According to researchers in Sapa, relatively little is known about Fansipan's flora and fauna. The cable car increases foot traffic on the mountain but it also reduces travel time exponentially and facilitates access for scientists unable to climb by foot. Will funding be available for research and monitoring? How can we protect species that have yet to be discovered?

Botsford's Leaf-Litter Frog (Photo: Jodi Rowley)

3. Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Development

The cable car inaugurates a new development phase in Sapa. Plans are already underway to construct hotels and recreational facilities in the region, including luxury properties and restaurants. 

Of the 18 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN highlights several for tourism industry focus:

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all; 

Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.  

How are SDGs related to Sapa? A few questions come to mind. First, will the Fansipan-Sapa cable car project generate quality employment for the local community? Second, will the new influx of tourists motivated by the cable car be accessible to homestay owners, local trekking guides and others in the Sapa community offering responsible tourism products? Third, what is the vision for the next stage of development? 

UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development (Photo: UN Development Programme)

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