Green tourism models in Quang Nam

Hotels without plastic waste; green houses that recycle waste; garbage collection tours... are models and activities aimed at developing green tourism in Quang Nam province.

Zero plastic waste hotel

In early September, in Hoi An city, Quang Nam province, Silk Sense Hoi An River Resort officially announced that it is a hotel with no plastic waste discharged into the environment and no single-use plastic products. This is the first hotel in Quang Nam with no plastic waste.

[caption id="attachment_428692" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Eco-friendly items at Silk Sense Hoi An River Resort. Photo: Investment Newspaper[/caption]

According to Mr. Tran Thai Do, investor of Silk Sense Hoi An River Resort, the hotel has been pursuing an environmental protection journey since the very first day of construction by using environmentally friendly materials and programs to reduce plastic waste at the hotel.

To implement the plan, the hotel has set out specific criteria and solutions for each waste problem and applied them synchronously and actively to ensure the complete elimination of plastic waste at the hotel.

Silk Sense Hoi An River Resort uses environmentally friendly materials such as AAC bricks to build the entire project. In addition, it uses a central air conditioning system with inverter and produces hot water. From the mineral salt pool, Kangen water bottles, organic vegetable garden to support the health of visitors, even the smallest personal items in each room only use environmentally friendly equipment... ensuring no impact on the environment and more broadly, the ozone layer.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam province, said: This is a pilot model for tourism businesses in general as well as resorts and hotels in the area to orient their tourism products and develop green tourism as the development orientation of the province.

Green houses recycle waste

Coming to Tan Thanh fishing village in Hoi An, visitors will see many green houses for storing garbage. Most of this garbage is sorted at the source by the people.

In particular, the green house project focuses on treating reform waste - low-value waste, including plastic bags, plastic boxes, foam boxes... which have not been recycled for a long time. Plastic bottles, beer cans, straws, and plastic bags are now not only used once, but also have their life cycle extended to become useful items. This contributes to reducing 30 - 40% of single-use waste to the city's landfill.

Pay to pick up trash

To raise awareness of Hoi An people about plastic waste, many ideas about green tours and ways to convey messages of environmental protection have been jointly implemented by authorities at all levels, tourism businesses, and people who love the city.

[caption id="attachment_428694" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Picking up trash on Cu Lao Cham beach. Photo: Quang Nam Newspaper[/caption]

Mr. Nguyen Van Son - Chairman of Hoi An City People's Committee, Quang Nam said: "Currently, Hoi An city is restructuring all products, developing sustainable tours such as sea tourism products, eco-tourism, river garbage collection tours, tree planting tours. For example, the Cu Lao Cham model without plastic bags is very well received by tourists, contributing to the general trend of the whole country as well as Quang Nam province in developing green tourism".

With this special tour, visitors can row a boat on the river, collect trash to protect the environment, watch people fishing or immerse themselves in the peaceful natural scenery. This is a way for visitors to enjoy the local identity and be inspired by their love for the environment.

After more than 5 years of implementation, this special tour has attracted many volunteers, groups of students and pupils to participate with an impressive amount of collected garbage.

In December 2021, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province issued a set of Green Tourism Criteria for a number of types of tourism activities in Quang Nam province.

In particular, the Green Tourism Criteria for hotels includes 9 main topics: General environmental management; Electricity management; Water management; Wastewater management; Solid waste management; Air quality management and noise pollution control; Support for local communities; Safety; Human resource management.

The Green Tourism Criteria for homestays includes 10 main topics, including: General environmental management; Electricity management; Water management; Wastewater management; Solid waste management; Air quality management and noise pollution control; Support for local communities; Safety & Security; Human resource management; Business management.

The Green Tourism Criteria for Resorts includes 10 main topics, specifically: General environmental management; Electric energy management; Water management; Wastewater management; Solid waste management; Air quality management and noise pollution control; Support for local communities; Support for local economy; Safety; Human resource management.

The Green Tourism Criteria for Travel Businesses includes 05 main topics: Internal management in office operations towards green tourism; Building and managing sustainable tourism products; Managing cooperation with service providers; Developing relationships with customers; Developing relationships with destinations.

The Green Tourism Criteria for Community-Based Tourism Destinations includes 09 main topics as follows: General environmental management; Electricity management; Wastewater management; Solid waste management; Air quality management and noise pollution control; Support for local communities; Support for local economies; Safety; Business management.

Green Tourism Criteria for Attractions with 11 main topics: General environmental management; Electricity management; Water management; Wastewater management; Solid waste management; Air quality management and noise pollution control; Support for local communities; Support for local economy; Security and safety; Human resource management; Business management.

Thanh Luan