Sustainable tourism destinations attract Vietnamese tourists

Tourists experience canoeing on the river at Dong Nghi Tourist Goat Farm (Tien Giang). Photo: Minh Hung/VNA

Sustainable tourism - Vietnamese travel trend

According to Ms. Thanh Thuy, residing in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, in recent years, her family has prioritized choosing eco-tours or inter-province tours with provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta. With these tours, tourists can get close to nature, experience environmental protection activities and update their knowledge of sustainable tourism.

Many tourists believe that the issue of sustainable development today does not stop at the economic and social aspects but needs to raise awareness in the social community. When each person changes their living, consumption, and travel habits... according to the sustainable development trend of the locality and the country, they will contribute to protecting the living environment of themselves and future generations.

Recently, the Sustainable Tourism 2025 survey by digital travel platform Agoda (Agoda) has announced a list of countries with the highest interest in sustainable tourism, in which Vietnam is in the top 5 regions. This is a survey conducted with more than 6,000 participants in 11 Asian markets.

According to this survey, Vietnamese tourists are increasingly attracted to authentic travel experiences and want to contribute positively to the development of local communities. In addition, Vietnamese tourists tend to prioritize trips to experience local culture, and want to contribute to the local economy... These trends show a strong shift from purely leisure travel to itineraries that bring more positive and meaningful impacts to Vietnamese tourists when choosing a travel destination.

On the other hand, with the desire to reduce the impact on the environment, 22% of Vietnamese tourists choose to travel during the low season to limit overcrowding. 21% of tourists choose accommodations that are certified as sustainable and 15% of tourists proactively bring reusable items such as water bottles, cloth bags, etc. to reduce waste to the environment.

Mr. Vu Ngoc Lam, Director of Agoda Vietnam, said that grasping the trend of sustainability becoming a top concern of Vietnamese tourists, Agoda's eco-incentive program is designed to encourage travelers to make sustainable choices when planning their travel. The program, which will be implemented in 2025, will continue to offer travelers attractive discounts of up to 15% at participating hotels in 10 Asian countries. For each booking at participating hotels, Agoda will contribute 1 USD to local conservation projects. 2025 also marks the first year that Japan and South Korea will join the program, expanding the scope of the program; creating conditions for travelers to participate and contribute more.

Local ecotourism opportunities

Tourism is identified by Ho Chi Minh City as a key economic sector, developing in the direction of green growth in accordance with the characteristics and identity of the city. Specifically, the Department of Tourism has developed and put into operation a public bicycle rental system, using electric cars to transport tourists around the city, etc., contributing to reducing emissions and raising public awareness of environmental protection.

Can Gio mangrove forest contributes to regulating the air and protecting the living environment of people in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring areas. Photo: Hong Dat/VNA

One product and service that the Ho Chi Minh City tourism industry is promoting is ecotourism in the Can Gio mangrove biosphere reserve, the Sac Forest relic site, etc. Can Gio has long been considered the "green lung" of Ho Chi Minh City, with rich potential in developing forest ecotourism combined with environmental conservation and connecting the local community.

Chairman of Can Gio District People's Committee Nguyen Van Hong informed that the locality is promoting green tourism models, communicating the reduction of plastic waste associated with tourism activities. Based on diverse ecosystems, vast mangrove forests and blue sea and white sand, Can Gio focuses on exploiting unique advantages for development, attracting investment in infrastructure projects, improving service quality to attract tourists.

Regarding tourism development solutions specifically for Can Gio district, Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, pointed out that Can Gio currently has many green tourism destinations and community tourism in Thieng Lieng hamlet, Thanh An commune; the "red address" of the Giong Ca Vo archaeological site... These are strengths that can attract domestic and foreign tourists to visit and relax...

In 2025, Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry will promote restructuring towards professionalism, modernity, quality, including sustainable development. The city will promote its position, always being a bright spot in tourism development, from building typical tourism products to effectively promoting the city's image to international friends. Therefore, tourism products such as cultural - historical tourism, waterway, medical, culinary tourism, etc. will be innovated by the city's tourism industry, creating attractiveness and contributing significantly to increasing the spending level of tourists, especially extending the length of stay - an important indicator promoting the process of sustainable tourism development.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee emphasized that in 2025, the City will focus on improving and diversifying tourism products on the basis of maximizing the unique strengths of districts, towns and Thu Duc City, including focusing on developing green tourism and environmentally responsible tourism. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City expects and encourages tourism and travel businesses to continue to improve and enhance the quality of products and services, develop new products suitable to the psychology and tastes of tourists; coordinate with departments and branches to build a friendly and safe tourism environment, towards sustainable development.

According to VNA

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/diem-den-du-lich-ben-vung-thu-hut-du-khach-viet-a416943.html