Develop the roles of community in the tourism environment protection

In order to focus on well developing the strengths and potential of tourism during last few years, infrastructure for tourism has been invested; service quality has been raised, besides, Lang Son city has concerned to direct the implementation of protecting the environment and ensuring urban beauty. One of the methods that have brought practical effects has exploited by Lang Son city is to mobilize the community for the environment protection.In 2006, within the framework of the cooperation program between the Association of Cities of Vietnam (ACVN) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Lang Son city has cooperated with two cities: Frederition (Canada) and Ubon Ratchathani (Thailand) –these are the cities which have a developed tourism sector in order to execute the project of "Tourism Development through Mobilization the Community". During the implementation of this project, Canadian and Thailand experts have shared their experiences and supported local cadres to carry out some works such as building tourism development strategy till 2010 with the participation of the community to efficiently exploit the potential and strengths of the city for tourism and service development; compiling and issuing leaflets and tourist guide books in order to promote tourism products in the region; establishing tourism information centers, mapping tourist sites, setting up tourist signposts to provide information to tourists; carrying out “Clean City” plan with the target of mobilizing participation of industries, levels and the whole community for making the city more green, clean and beautiful; implementing the program of “Clean Restaurant” with the target of building restaurant system which is able to supply safety quality food and make efforts to gain national as well as international sanitation standards on food safety. Assessing the implementation results, international experts have acknowledged the initial successes of the project. In particular, the implementation of programs “Clean City” and “Clean Restaurant” have mobilized the participation of a part of population in the community; given methods for minimizing some polluted areas; established plans and planed places for waste gathering and treatment and productive establishments with risk of causing environment pollution.Therefore, more and more domestic and foreign tourists visit Lang Son. In 2006, it increased by 10.7% against to 2005, in 2007 by 13.7% against to 2006 and only in first six months of the year 2008, it has increased by 33% compared to the same period last year. Besides, in order to educate and raise the awareness of the community in protecting tourism environment, the city since April 2008 has steered wards, communes to monthly hold “general sanitation in the whole area” with the content which requires agencies, organizations and enterprises that their head quarters in the city and all people classes to positively join activities of sweeping, general sanitation, collecting rubbish in streets, hamlets as well as community areas. Meanwhile, it has strengthened socialization of renewing the urban area, propagandized people to contribute money for building, reforming the pavement system, green trees, public lighting system, reinforcing concreting the roads in hamlets and rural transportation roads. The city has also promulgated regulations on implementation of urban civilized lifestyle, in which clearly defining responsibilities of people classes for sanitation, protection of general environment of the whole city. Thanks to it, nice impression should be recorded in tourists of a city at the north-east gateway of the country which does not only dynamically develop but also has a clean and civilized tourism environment.