Shaping green tourism brand

Tourists experience a green agricultural tour in the suburban area of Hanoi. (Photo: BICH HONG)

Green certification - a trusted commitment to sustainable tourism development

Speaking at the seminar “Clean energy in tourism development” recently held within the framework of the Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair - ITE HCMC 2025, Ms. Ta Thi Tu Uyen, Deputy Director of Vietravel Business Development Department, said that green and sustainable factors are increasingly valued by tourists. European tourists participating in cross-Vietnam tours are very interested in hotels with green certificates, even domestic tourists, especially young people, are very interested in participating in zero-waste experiences, planting trees, making bio-bricks, etc., and are excited to follow the “carbon footprint” chart of the trip, etc.

Booking.com’s 2025 Travel and Sustainable Development Report also shows that up to 99% of Vietnamese tourists surveyed said they want to make more sustainable travel choices. This not only affirms the real demand for sustainable tourism in the domestic and international markets, but also shows that green and sustainable certifications are becoming criteria for tourists to choose destinations, itineraries, and services.

According to Mr. Dang Hong Duc, ESG compliance consultant at Furama-Ariyana Danang International Tourism Complex, sustainability certifications such as VITA Green, ASEAN Tourism Awards, EarthCheck, TUU Eco Stay Awards, etc. are contributing to creating a common standard system for the tourism industry. Each certification sets out different criteria, but all focus on three main pillars: environment-social-governance.

If VITA Green is a domestic certification built on the basis of international standards, focusing on issues of plastic waste management, energy saving, business transparency, and community engagement, ASEAN Tourism Awards contributes to standardizing tourism services at the regional level through awards such as "Clean Tourist City", "Green Hotel"...

Meanwhile, EarthCheck is a global certification with a rigorous and comprehensive assessment process; TUU Eco Stay Awards applies data and independent audits to evaluate and operate community and heritage awards... These are suggestions for businesses and tourist destinations, depending on their capabilities and scale, to choose to start with appropriate certifications.

In fact, to be granted green and sustainable certificates, units must meet hundreds of strict criteria according to international standards. Therefore, sustainable tourism labels are considered a "passport" to help Vietnamese tourism integrate. Not only providing suggestions and reference frameworks for businesses and destinations to apply and operate, thereby improving service quality, sustainable certificates also help attract civilized tourists, prioritize green criteria and are willing to pay for responsible tourism activities, contributing to shaping a green and sustainable brand for Vietnamese tourism.

Standardize and upgrade for integration

The National Strategy on Green Growth for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, identifies one of the key orientations as promoting green and sustainable consumption and purchasing through energy labeling, eco-labeling, green labeling programs, etc.

Sustainability certifications are a reliable basis for tourists to identify high-quality, environmentally friendly and socially responsible tourism services. In order to improve the quality, reputation and brand value of Vietnamese tourism, since 2019, the Vietnam Tourism Association has implemented the VITA Green green tourism criteria set.

To date, nearly 30 businesses have been granted this certificate. Not stopping at the domestic recognition level, the Vietnam Tourism Association is planning to elevate the value of the VITA Green green tourism label to an international trading mark, thereby helping domestic businesses to be more confident when participating in the global tourism supply chain, contributing to improving the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism.

Chairman of the Vietnam Green Tourism Association Phung Quang Thang said: To realize this goal, the VITA Green criteria set will continue to be standardized based on reference to global standards such as GSTC, Travelife, Green Key... to ensure compatibility with international certifications.

The implementation roadmap is determined to include three phases: Focusing on building and developing internal resources, standardizing and positioning the brand, implementing brand protection communication activities (2025-2026 period); Bringing the brand to the world through expanding international connections, increasing the number of businesses and destinations meeting VITA Green criteria (2026-2028 period); Developing specialized green tourism, participating in policy consulting and building an academic foundation for green tourism (2028-2030 period).

The plan aims to have 200 businesses and 30 typical destinations certified by 2030; cooperate with at least 5 international organizations; organize 3 global events in Vietnam, contributing to creating a synchronous green tourism ecosystem with international integration.

In fact, although aware of the importance of green tourism as well as the need to obtain sustainable certifications, many businesses are hesitant due to lack of financial resources, specialized personnel, and difficulty in giving up old operating habits. Therefore, to be labeled green, it requires a roadmap with great determination and effort from business leaders to employees, the community, and tourists.

Mr. Tran Viet Phuong, Chairman of the Mekong Delta Tourism Association, said that green tourism has become an inevitable requirement, and businesses all want to implement it. However, the criteria and procedures are still relatively complicated, making units reluctant to participate.

Mr. Tran Viet Phuong suggested that with the VITA Green label, the Vietnam Tourism Association needs to conduct research to have easy-to-understand, easy-to-apply, and strict instructions to encourage businesses to participate.

In order to elevate VITA Green, Mr. Pham Ha, Chairman of LuxGroup - the unit that was recently awarded the "Green Star" award by Saigon Economic Magazine, emphasized that it is necessary to resolutely fight against "greenwashing" of the brand to ensure that all criteria are measured transparently and accurately, creating a green culture as part of the corporate identity.

HONG TRANG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/dinh-hinh-thuong-hieu-du-lich-xanh-post907042.html