The merger of Da Nang and Quang Nam into one administrative unit called Da Nang city (new) opens up many opportunities for sustainable tourism development.
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| A corner of the ancient town of Hoi An. Photo: XUAN SON |
Green tourism platform of Quang Nam
According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam province, if Da Nang has strengths in infrastructure and urban tourism, Quang Nam is the leading locality in building green tourism criteria.
Specifically, from 2021, Quang Nam province is the first locality in Vietnam to issue a set of green tourism criteria, based on the results of research cooperation with domestic and foreign experts, with technical and financial support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Swiss Sustainable Tourism Project in Vietnam (ST4SD).
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| Dam River landscape in Tam Ky city, Quang Nam province. Photo: XUAN SON |
According to the assessment report of the tourism industry of Quang Nam province, the (new) city of Da Nang possesses rich natural resources, including 3 world heritages (Hoi An, My Son, Cu Lao Cham), 125km of beautiful coastline and a dense river system, including Cam Thanh mangrove forest and Son Tra biodiversity.
In addition, Tam Ky city has the beautiful and wild Dam River landscape with high biodiversity, along with the national historical site of Ky Anh tunnels, which is a great potential for tourism development in the southern area of Da Nang (new) in the future.
Da Nang (new) has cultural and historical advantages with a rich Cham culture and ancient urban heritage, many traditional craft villages are still preserved intact. Regarding infrastructure, the new city has Da Nang international airport meeting 4F standards and Chu Lai airport upgraded to 4F standards, a synchronous 4-5 star hotel system.
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| Son Tra Peninsula - the green lung of Da Nang city. Photo: XUAN SON |
According to Mr. Van Ba Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam province, after nearly 5 years of implementing the green tourism criteria, Quang Nam has gradually affirmed its position as a green tourism destination in the region and internationally. Currently, there are 33 enterprises certified by the People's Committee of Quang Nam province for green tourism.
“Although still in the early stages, green tourism models contribute to shaping the brand “Quang Nam - Green tourism destination”, contributing to raising awareness, creating a ripple effect among the business community, people and tourists about preserving, conserving tourism resources and sustainable development”, said Mr. Son.
Upgrading Green Tourism Criteria for Da Nang (new)
However, the journey of developing green tourism in Quang Nam still faces difficulties. In particular, the Green Tourism Criteria of Quang Nam province has not been recognized at the national level. Da Nang (new) also faces challenges from climate change, competition for destinations from Thailand and Malaysia, or risks from overheating development with conflicts of interest between conservation and development, and the risk of commercialization of heritage...
Within the framework of the workshop “Green tourism destination management model - Approach from stakeholders” recently held in Hoi An (Quang Nam), many experts, managers, and representatives of tourism businesses in Quang Nam and Da Nang were particularly interested in the orientation and opportunities for developing green tourism and sustainable tourism of the (new) Da Nang city after the merger.
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| Quang Nam - Da Nang share the same Co Tu cultural identity with special values from the mountains and forests. Photo: XUAN SON |
Sharing Switzerland’s practical experience in sustainable tourism, Mr. Olivier Messmer, chief expert of the ST4SD Project, recommended that the Quang Nam tourism industry should develop a local certification program that reflects local values; promote close public-private cooperation between the community, businesses and local management levels; and promote the conservation and promotion of cultural and natural heritages.
According to Mr. Van Ba Son, the current set of green tourism criteria of Quang Nam needs to be applied to the (new) city of Da Nang as a foundation for developing regional tourism.
Accordingly, Quang Nam proposed to upgrade this set of criteria according to a 3-step roadmap, referring to global standards such as Green Key (international program on managing and reducing energy and resource consumption in hotels and accommodation establishments), GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council).
Specifically, step 1, compare Quang Nam's existing criteria with GSTC. Add missing elements and invite the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) or GSTC to assess feasibility.
Step 2 will be piloted in Da Nang in the period of 2026-2027, applying the test to 10 coastal hotels in Da Nang, granting "Green Destination Da Nang" certification with its own logo. Step 3 will proceed to replicate nationwide in the period of 2028-2030, proposing the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to recognize this set of criteria as a national standard.
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| Ripe rice season in Nam Yen valley, Hoa Bac commune (Hoa Vang district). Photo: XUAN SON |
According to the above proposals, the State will develop preferential policies and manage resources; businesses will invest in technology (zero-waste resorts, wind-powered ships), and green supply chains (collaborating with local farmers to provide organic food for restaurants).
Meanwhile, the community and international organizations have a role to play through cooperation projects such as: WWF supports sea turtle conservation in Cu Lao Cham; organizes green homestay training for local people; cooperates with UNDP, WWF, ST4SD on green transportation and hotels; attracts FDI in renewable energy and tourism technology.
"Combining a systematic and internationally standardized roadmap with the participation of the whole community, green tourism in the (new) Da Nang city will not only be sustainable but also create a global competitive advantage." (Mr. Van Ba Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam) |
XUAN SON
Source: https://baodanang.vn/du-lich-da-nang/202506/phat-trien-du-lich-xanh-cho-mot-da-nang-moi-4010713/
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