Many special advantages

According to Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports , in the context of climate change and increasing environmental impacts, developing tourism in a "green" and "sustainable" direction is not only an inevitable trend but also an urgent requirement. Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam, where a rich and diverse treasure trove of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and documents is being preserved, is showing great potential in orienting tourism not only based on heritage, but also in harmony with nature and the community. Exploiting the unique cultural advantages and close connections with surrounding localities and regions is creating a solid foundation for Hue to develop green tourism and sustainable tourism.

Tourists check-in at Lap An lagoon

Ms. Tran Thi Hoai Tram, Director of the Department of Tourism, said that Hue has effectively exploited and used tourism resources in a sustainable manner, ensuring harmony between environmental conservation and tourism economic development. Currently, there are 15 tourist destinations recognized by the City People's Committee as tourist destinations, including 12 eco-tourism destinations associated with the community, which have affirmed the value of natural resources and unique local culture and opened up practical opportunities for planning, investing and developing tourism models in a green, sustainable and responsible direction. Green routes and tours are designed to be associated with cultural heritage conservation, using environmentally friendly means of transport, prioritizing renewable energy, and minimizing plastic waste and carbon emissions.

The scientific workshop with the theme "Green tourism: Potential, opportunities and challenges" was organized by the Union of Science and Technology Associations of Hue City in coordination with the People's Committee of Chan May - Lang Co commune with the aim of implementing the green tourism development orientation of the tourism industry of Hue city, closely following the goal of Resolution No. 54-NQ/TW of the Politburo on building and developing Hue city to 2030, with a vision to 2045, which is to build and develop Hue into a centrally-run city on the basis of preserving and promoting the values ​​of the ancient capital's heritage and Hue's cultural identity, with cultural, heritage, ecological, landscape, environmentally friendly and smart characteristics.

Many challenges

Besides great potentials and opportunities, green tourism in Hue also faces many challenges. One of the major concerns is the limitation of green tourism infrastructure, potential eco-tourism destinations, especially in suburban, rural and lagoon areas, still lack essential infrastructure such as convenient transportation, environmentally friendly toilets, standard waste collection and treatment systems, eco-stops, and sustainable accommodation facilities. The application of green technology in the operation of accommodation facilities is still very modest.

Director of the Department of Tourism Tran Thi Hoai Tram is concerned that the efficiency of exploiting green tourism products is still limited, many green tourism products have not achieved the desired results because of the lack of tour routes suitable to the actual needs of tourists, and the lack of connection between destinations and travel businesses. Tourism activities are still small, spontaneous, lacking the participation of large, professional tourism businesses. Natural potentials such as streams and waterfalls have only been exploited spontaneously, lacking clear planning and a systematic land leasing mechanism.

Linking festivals with tourism development in Chan May commune - Lang Co

In addition, many tourism businesses in Hue have not yet built a clear and specific sustainable development strategy, leading to the implementation of "greening" activities spontaneously, on a small scale and lacking connection and synchronization throughout the system. In addition, community awareness and capacity are not uniform, people do not really understand the importance of protecting the environment, preserving traditional cultural values ​​and actively participating in green tourism.

An objective factor is that Hue is located in an area frequently affected by natural disasters such as storms, floods, landslides, and saltwater intrusion, causing damage to tourism infrastructure and posing potential risks to ecotourism and community tourism models. According to Master Pham Ba Hung, Principal of Hue College of Tourism, the risk of coastal landslides, natural disasters, climate change, and weather conditions have a negative impact on the ability to attract investment in tourism services.

For sustainable development

Green tourism is oriented towards sustainable development, on the basis of preserving and promoting cultural and heritage values ​​associated with landscape and environmental protection, building environmentally friendly products and with the active participation of local communities.

According to experts, to maximize existing advantages and orient the development of green and sustainable tourism, Hue needs to consistently follow a development roadmap that closely links cultural heritage conservation, landscape and environmental protection, community education and promotes the widespread participation of local people.

The development of green tourism needs to be associated with specific solutions, including the need to perfect planning and legal mechanisms, build strategies and action programs for the development of green and sustainable tourism, especially in coastal and lagoon areas, along with the issuance of policies to attract investment and community participation. Invest in upgrading infrastructure to develop tourism services, ensure conditions for facilities and service quality, carry out digital transformation, green transformation, and enhance the application of science and technology in the tourism industry. In addition, it is necessary to diversify tourism products, harmoniously combine natural resources, typical products and experiential activities, and create a unique identity for the destination. Develop human resources and increase the participation of the community and stakeholders...

Ms. Tram believes that Hue needs to continue to improve its tourism planning in a sustainable direction, prioritize selective investment, promote the role of local communities and especially strengthen communication and education on responsible tourism. This will be an important foundation for Hue to not only maintain its titles such as "National Green City", "ASEAN Clean Tourist City", but also become a typical model of green tourism development in Vietnam and the region in the future.

LUCK

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/du-lich/nam-bat-co-hoi-giai-quyet-thach-thuc-de-phat-trien-du-lich-xanh-157570.html