Associate Professor Dr. Tran Tan Van, Director of the Institute of Mineral Geology, said he did not understand why the collection of tickets to the Dong Van Stone Plateau Global Geopark (Ha Giang) was so delayed. At the international conference on Vietnam's heritage sites recognized by UNESCO, Assoc. Prof-Dr. Van suggested that the project of collecting fees for visiting this geopark should be implemented soon. "It is necessary to soon implement a scheme to collect fees for visiting geoparks as has been done in some other UNESCO-designated areas," Mr. Van said.
The beauty of Dong Van Stone Plateau, Ha Giang
Delayed for fear of public opinion?
However, Mr. Van surmised that this delay was partly due to… fear of public opinion. Accordingly, just talking about charging an additional fee will make many people protest immediately, even though many other places that are not as superior have already collected fees. “As a visitor to Tam Thanh cave in Lang Son, for example, you just have to pay money when you enter the door, not yet the heritage has already collected money. I think for the global geopark system, maybe because there is no place to do it, people are a bit hesitant, because of psychology, but there is nothing to hinder. UNESCO has recommended it a few times, it has been recorded in the official recommendation,” said Mr. Van.
Mr. Van also mentioned the habit of… like free. “People just get used to it for free. The place that collects the money and has to accept it, agrees, and the place that has not yet collected the fee is preparing to collect the fee, but it screams. But I think the number of people who support it is more than the number that disagrees, especially with foreign guests, they strongly agree," Mr. Van shared.
According to Mr. Van, about the collection of fees to visit the global geopark in Ha Giang, UNESCO has recommended to organize collection from 2014 to 2018 again with recommendations, the third recommendation is in 2022.
ĐỂ SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SELF-FEEDING HEALTH
Currently, many national heritage sites registered by UNESCO are collecting entrance fees. This is an important source of income to reinvest in the heritage and attract tourists.
At the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (Hanoi), the heritage site is now open to visit all days of the week, except Monday, with the opening time in the morning from 8:11 am to 30:14 am, in the afternoon from 17 pm to 30.000 pm. Tickets to visit here are priced at 15 VND/time; Free tickets for people with meritorious services to the revolution or children under 60 years old. Elderly people over 15 years old or students and students from 50 years old and above have a 15.000% discount ticket price of XNUMX VND/time.
At the relic of the ancient capital of Hue (Thua Thien-Hue), the ticket price varies from place to place. Ticket price to visit Hue Citadel with adults is 200.000 VND / time, children under 15 years old is 40.000 VND / time. Ticket price to visit the tomb of King Minh Mang, Tomb of King Tu Duc, Tomb of King Khai Dinh with adults is 150.000 VND/time, children 30.000 VND/time; Gia Long's mausoleum for adults is 150.000 VND / turn, children are free. Tickets to visit the tomb of King Dong Khanh with adults are 100.000 VND / time, children are free. The relics of King Thieu Tri's mausoleum, Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities, Hon Chen Palace, An Dinh Palace, and Nam Giao Forum cost 50.000 VND / turn for adults, free for children. The relic area also has routes to 2-3 relic sites with better ticket prices than buying individual points. Besides, the tour guide ticket in the mainland costs 150.000 VND/guide/point; The tour guide ticket at the relic sites (valid for 2 days) costs 300.000 VND/guide.
Tourists visit Thang Long Imperial Citadel
Management Board of Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
Tickets to visit UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh) are only applied to people with a height of 1,2 m or more, children under 1,2 m tall are free. Vietnamese people aged 60 and over are entitled to a 50% discount on ticket prices, provided they have to bring their CCCD or ID card. Sightseeing tickets are also divided into many levels with different routes: routes 1, 2, 5 cost 290.000 VND/ticket; Routes 3 and 4 cost 240.000 VND/ticket.
Th.S Pham Phu Ngoc, Director of Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Management Center, said that the organization of sightseeing tours in Hoi An ancient town (Quang Nam) has been implemented since 1986. Since then, each year the old town welcomes an increased number of visitors. “If in 2000, Hoi An had more than 192.000 visitors, by 2019 this number will be 5,7 million, creating an important budget source to reinvest in the restoration of monuments, organizing festival activities, spending on management… Especially, among the attractions, more than half of the spots are privately owned - collectives are communal houses, assembly halls, ancient houses, ethnic churches. These points are also deducted a percentage of the ticket price to spend on management activities at the site, "Th.S Ngoc said.
Meanwhile, it is expected that the entrance fee to tourist attractions within the geopark is 15.000 VND for children and 30.000 VND for adults. This fee is expected to be collected through the stay, which means staying at the property will be collected there. This funding source will be spent on toll collection management units, accommodation establishments that directly collect fees, conservation, protection and construction of new products in the geopark.
Mr. Van's research shows that, after being recognized, geoparks have many investment opportunities from the Central Government, ministries, branches, international organizations, and investors. The parks do not lack funds to operate and manage because basically just need to change the orientation and change the use purpose to be able to have money. Even so, charging is still necessary for the geopark to be able to feed itself and develop sustainably.
“There are some activities that need funding. For example, survey, identify new heritage sites, develop them into tourist attractions, and educate the community. Funds for the management board to operate, pay salaries, improve qualifications and equipment. In recent decades, Ha Giang has already spent that amount, but it will become an extra amount of the province. Toll collection will serve those needs directly. That is to calculate not to be a burden, to self-organize it to support itself. Then it will be sustainable,” said Mr. Van.
