Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research (ITDR) under VNAT, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that Hue tourism, with its available resources, would be favorable to build green tourism development models.
City tour by electric car has just been operated in Hue
A sustainable destination
The Government has oriented Vietnam's economic development towards green and sustainable growth. The Government also assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to research, evaluate and come up with suitable development models based on the strengths and potentials of each locality.
The Institute for Tourism Development Research has just had a trip to Hue to survey, research and establish the "Green Tourism Development Model in the North Central region". The purpose of the trip was to help the institute build a scientific basis, assess the current situation, propose solutions and develop a tourism development model with focus on green growth for the whole region, and replicate it to the country later on.
In Hue, the delegation visited a number of accommodation establishments applying the green growth model, combined with environmental protection; visited several garden houses and experienced traditional services imbued with the culture of the Ancient Capital. In addition, the delegation also surveyed a number of community-based, nature-oriented and eco-tourism sites in the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon system and Bach Ma National Park.
Experiencing agricultural tour. Photo: Thuong Hien
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, the overall development orientation of Hue tourism is sustainability, based on the principles of preserving cultural, historic and natural values.
Recently, various green development models and products have been operated by Hue tourism industry together with tourism and service businesses in the area. New tour routes, using environmentally friendly vehicles, such as bicycles, electric cars, cyclos; nature-oriented tours to protect the environment and create sustainable livelihoods for locals... are oriented and created a good mechanism for utilization. This is consistent with the criteria set by the survey delegation.
“During the past, the tourism industry has also built a smart tourism ecosystem; develop a tourism digital transformation plan to help businesses develop and to maximize support for tourists. New experience tours, through digital transformation and applying smart tourism models, have been helping reduce the impact on heritage and nature during utilization," Mr. Phuc emphasized.
A clear advantage comes from provincial leaders who are interested in environmental protection. Notably, the “Say no to plastic waste” movement, the "Green Sunday" movement, urban embellishment... have helped Hue become greener, cleaner and more beautiful. In addition, the provincial leaders also carefully review projects that are likely to affect the environment before approving, focusing on projects using renewable energy, green projects...
There will be sample models
After surveying various products and sustainable tourism development models in Hue, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan said that Hue was building a sustainable eco-tourism system, with a smooth connection between the government, workers and visitors. This has helped Hue meet all the factors to develop green tourism as oriented by the Government.
The trend of using environmentally friendly vehicles is utilized by businesses
According to Mr. Tuan, the green tourism development model is not about protecting the natural environment only, but also social issues, conservation and sustainable development, especially creatingstable livelihood for locals, so that "no one is left behind" in the process of common development.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, it is conceivable when referring to green development and green growth, but it lacks specific models and standards for development. Therefore, Hue tourism industry has proposed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to provide more guidance on the green growth model, develop sets of criteria for businesses to improve their knowledge, application, or introduce items, materials and green technology for implementation.
“The state should provide incentives, offer support prices, encourage and facilitate using green technologies and materials so that the businesses could realize the benefits upon deploying. It can also propose an additional set of criteria for rating green hotels, as a criterion for star rating, to help improve the competitiveness of hotels," said Mr. Phuc.
Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan emphasized that developing green tourism is a very new concept, so there are yet to be specific definitions and guidelines. Therefore, samples will be set and piloted, and the optimal model will be reached through seminars and comprehensive evaluations. At the same time, it is necessary to perfect mechanisms and policies associated with the reality of each locality.
There will be new opportunities, mechanisms and policies coming, along with a sustainable tourism development strategy. Accordingly, Hue will not only be a clean and green destination, but also a high-spending destination with high-class services associated with green growth.
Story and photos: Quang Sang