Green transformation, the "key" for sustainable development of Vietnamese tourism

Many localities are leading the green tourism trend.

Vietnam with a coastline of up to 3,260km is one of the 10 countries with the longest coastline compared to the area of the territory in the world, also the country has up to 2,360 large and small rivers. With diverse natural resources, the development of green tourism helps promote biodiversity conservation and also improves the lives of the community, economic growth.

According to Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration Ha Van Sieu, after the Covid-19 pandemic, green tourism that is beneficial to health is always highly appreciated and chosen by tourists. "To attract tourists, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 882/QD-TTg on the National Action Plan on green growth for the period 2021-2030. In which, priority is given to developing tourism types in the direction of growing green tourism products" - Mr. Sieu emphasized.

Tourists visit Sa Dec flower village (Dong Thap). Photo: Hoai Nam

Director of the Institute for Brand Strategy and Competitiveness Research Vo Tri Thanh shared: survey results of the travel technology company Expedia Group (USA) show that 90% of tourists love trips that reduce the environmental "footprint", help support the local economy and culture, and have the opportunity to explore new destinations.

According to information from the National Tourism Administration, in order to meet the needs of tourists, recently, the green tourism model has been effectively implemented by many localities. Since 2017, Hoi An has introduced a kayaking tour combined with garbage collection on the Hoai River, introduced by Hoi An Kayak Tourism Company, which has attracted many tourists. The cost for such a tour is only 10 USD/person, paddling for 4 hours to both sightsee and collect garbage. Many domestic and international tourists initially joined out of curiosity, then became very excited to participate.

Tourists visit the green tourist spot in Ba Vi district (Hanoi). Photo: Hoai Nam

Similarly, Co To island district (Quang Ninh) is also very determined to say no to plastic waste when asking tourists not to bring disposable plastic products. At the same time, tourism companies in Co To district organize green tours.

Ninh Binh province has developed many green tourism products, aiming at experiencing nature. In Con Dao, Six Senses Con Dao resort in collaboration with Con Dao National Park has restored many nesting grounds and carried out sea turtle conservation, attracting the attention of tourists, especially children.

Need cooperation from many sides

Although green tourism has been implemented by many localities to attract tourists, however, this activity is still localized and each person does their own thing. That shows that to develop this type of tourism requires cooperation from many sides.

Reflecting on the difficulties in the process of developing green tourism, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association Vu The Binh informed that there are many big challenges in developing tourism in the direction of green growth that must be faced. Specifically, the awareness of a part of the people is not enough about green growth, while the management agency lacks mechanisms and guidelines for developing green tourism because there is no set of green tourism criteria applicable nationwide. In addition, many tourist establishments do not have active measures to treat garbage and wastewater but still directly discharge them into the natural environment.

Tourists visit Con Chim, one of the green tourist attractions in Tra Vinh province. Photo: Hoai Nam

From the business perspective, Deputy General Manager of Silk Sense Hoi An Resort Ha Thi Dieu Vien said that when the unit applied green criteria to products and services, not all tourists were aware of the meaning of this action, so they reacted very strongly when being prevented from using disposable plastic products. In addition, to ensure green criteria, businesses must invest a large amount of capital in environmentally friendly products but have not received financial support from state management agencies...

To overcome these difficulties, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Association Phung Quang Thang proposed that to effectively transform green tourism and develop sustainably, there needs to be joint efforts from local authorities, businesses, and people.

“Localities and units need to take more specific actions, plan areas for tourism development, invest in infrastructure and equipment to minimize activities that cause environmental pollution. In addition, propaganda for people needs to shift from awareness to action, and properly treat natural and cultural resources,” Mr. Thang said.

Sa Dec flower village is one of the green tourist destinations of Dong Thap province. Photo: Hoai Nam

From an expert perspective, Deputy Chief Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, Patrick Haverman, said that destination management is a process that requires the participation and leadership of local authorities. It focuses on close coordination with the private sector and the community, thereby reflecting their opinions and views in tourism management solutions of each locality. "UNDP is ready to support the tourism industry in the process of transforming Vietnam into a green tourism destination for sustainable development," Mr. Patrick Haverman pledged.

Representing the tourism business community developing green tourism, Vice President of Quang Ninh Tourism Association Nguyen Ha Hai said that the State needs to have incentive mechanisms on tax, credit, and investment support for projects developing green and sustainable tourism. In particular, it is necessary to soon develop and promulgate an Action Program of the tourism industry to implement the National Strategy on Green Growth for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

In particular, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a set of national green tourism criteria for each tourism sector in accordance with the actual conditions of Vietnam. "The issuance of the criteria will be a legal support for businesses in the process of developing this type of tourism" - Mr. Hai clearly stated.

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