Tourism in many localities has begun the process of "greening"

Managers and tourism experts discuss solutions for green tourism transformation. Photo: Hoang Quyen

According to Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu, the trend of green, quality, and health-assured tourism is being promoted and becoming the priority choice of many tourists. Only when this is clearly recognized, will the tourism industry have green destinations, green products, and green services.

Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association Vu The Binh emphasized that responding to climate change and protecting the environment has become an urgent need for the whole world . The Government has shown its determination to join hands to solve the climate crisis with many practical actions, including requiring the tourism industry to make a green transition to improve competitiveness.

“Our country’s tourism possesses natural beauty and diverse cultural heritage, rich in identity. Green transformation in tourism benefits the environment, promotes biodiversity conservation, improves the lives of tourism communities, and promotes economic growth,” said Mr. Vu The Binh.

Signing ceremony of media cooperation agreement on green transformation for Vietnam tourism. Photo: Hoang Quyen

At the forum, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam Patrick Haverman said that the green transformation of Vietnam's tourism needs to focus on four issues: Green planning; effective destination management; plastic waste-free and low-carbon tourism; and nature-based sustainable tourism.

Mr. Patrick Haverman appreciated the fact that many localities in Vietnam have begun the process of "greening" tourism by reducing single-use plastics for many years, such as Hoi An ancient town (Quang Nam) and Co To island district (Quang Ninh), demonstrating a strong commitment to environmental management.

From an economic perspective, Dr. Vo Tri Thanh, Director of the Institute for Brand Strategy and Competitiveness Research, said that there are five key pillars in the framework of sustainable tourism development in ASEAN: Sustainable economic growth; social inclusion, employment and poverty reduction; resource efficiency, environmental protection and climate change; cultural and heritage diversity; mutual understanding, peace, health, security and safety.

Tourists participate in activities to collect trash to protect the environment. Photo: Vietluxtour

At the forum, many opinions said that in order for tourism to transform green effectively and sustainably, there needs to be a shift from awareness to specific actions. In particular, it is necessary to have a clear set of green tourism criteria for localities and businesses to apply.

In addition, the tourism industry needs to innovate technology, apply technical solutions, and innovate materials to build sustainable and effective green tourism products. Localities need to strengthen the management of tourist destinations, perfect and promote the effectiveness of tourism development policies, and digital transformation to effectively exploit development resources, ensuring the success of the greening process.

At the workshop, the Vietnam Tourism Association signed a communication cooperation agreement on green transformation for Vietnam tourism with media units and social network TikTok Vietnam.

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