Completion of institutional mechanism to encourage investment in ecotourism development, strengthening human resources and clarification of financial mechanism regarding income generated from environmental services, including ecotourism are significant issues in the National Workshop on development of institutional mechanism for ecotourism development in relation with nature conservation.
Participated in the workshop are not only representatives from government agencies of tourism and nature conservation but also national parks and protected areas, development organizations, private sector as well as mass media.
In her presentation, Ms. Nguyen Thu Hue, MCD Director, provided workshop audience a glance of the organization’s vision, mission and development activities. Furthermore, from a non-profit development organization perspective with experience of community-based ecotourism development in the Red River Delta and the Central of Vietnam, she demonstrated the need of strengthening institutional framework for ecotourism in coastal areas, including consolidation of state management structure on tourism, support of community-based ecotourism infrastructure, improvement of management and professional skills, support of market research, marketing and promotion of CBET products and services. She emphasized “We hope that our experience are shared, our voice are heard, because more than anyone else, as those devoted to conservation and development of national parks and protected areas, we try our best towards sustainable development of ecotourism in fragile biodiversity areas, especially on the coast”.
In addition, CBET products and services of Giao Xuan Commune – one of the five communes in the buffer zone of Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam Dinh Province, that supported by MCD from 2006 has been introduced and promoted to interested stakeholders, with positive feedbacks.
At the end of the workshop, the Proposal on Institutional Framework for Ecotourism Development with all recommendations included will be improved and submitted to appropriate authorities for approval in early 2011.
The workshop was held in Ha Noi and Ninh Binh in three days 25 – 27 November 2010 by Vietnam Association of National Parks and Protected Areas.