Preparations for March trip well underway

As the March 14th departure date rapidly approaches preparations and planning for the Training Trip are in motion. Visas and airfares have been booked, hotel rooms and itineraries are being finalized, and the training modules are in development.

Students in Capilano University's second-year Tourism Planning class have also made their contribution. A 3 hour workshop was organized which allowed for short presentations on Viet Nam and tourism in Viet Nam, as well as the project. Participants then analyzed the situation in Sa Pa playing the role of each of the stakeholders (tour guides, international and domestic tourists, community, street vendors, homestay owners, local government, etc.). The new perspectives will be shared and integrated into brainstorming sessions as we continue to seek out new solutions.

Currently, the primary task of the project team is to complete a series of modules planned for the March trip. Training packages in Event Planning and Management, Local Government Tourism Planning Processes, Homestay Management, Understanding the Tourist, Business Planning, Environmental Stewardship, and the Importance of Culture are in the final stages of development and are days away from completion. They will be sent to a team of student volunteers from Hanoi Open University for translating and illustrating.

Everyone involved has put enormous amounts of volunteered effort into the project over the past month. Still, as the excitement builds for the departure date, any challenge that is put in front of the team is easily and enthusiastically dealt with.