 |
| An aerial view of Tan Hoa tourism village in Quang Binh province (Photo: Oxalis Adventure) |
The UNWTO announced the list of Best Tourism Villages 2023 at a meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 19.
Tan Hoa is the only from Vietnam among the 260 applicants from 60 countries seeking the title, said Vice Chairman of the Quang Binh People’s Committee Ho An Phong at a press conference held in Dong Hoi city the same day.
He noted that winning the title is just the first step of tourism development in Tan Hoa. It is a chance for this locality to gradually become a bright spot of Vietnam’s tourism.
The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tan Hoa was recognised for its diverse and outstanding cultural and natural resources, as well as its commitments and actions to comply with the sustainable tourism principles.
 |
| A leader of the Tan Hoa communal People's Committee receives the Best Tourism Village 2023 title from the World Tourism Organisation. (Photo: baoquangbinh.vn) |
Tan Hoa, a mountainous commune in Minh Hoa district, is blessed with breathtaking natural landscapes and special cultural identities. In the past, it used to be frequently hit by floods due to its location.
Over the past years, local residents have engaged in tourism activities to help sustainably reduce poverty. With support from businesses, Tan Hoa has become a weather-adaptive tourism village with many unique and typical tourism products.
Launched in 2021, the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO initiative is part of the UNWTO Tourism for Rural Development Programme. The programme works to foster development and inclusion in rural areas, combat depopulation, advance innovation and value chain integration through tourism, and encourage sustainable practices.
The villages are evaluated under nine key areas, namely cultural and natural resources; promotion and conservation of cultural resources; economic sustainability; social sustainability; environmental sustainability; tourism development and value chain integration; governance and prioritisation of tourism; infrastructure and connectivity; and health, safety, and security.
China Southern Airlines launches daily flights to Khanh Hoa
China Southern Airlines has unveiled that it will increase the frequency of flights from Guangzhou to Khanh Hoa from three round trips per week to one round trip each day, with the new schedule starting from October 29, reported VOV.
 |
| China Southern Airlines launches daily flights to Khanh Hoa (Source: VOV) |
Specifically, flight CZ6049 will depart from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 2:20 p.m. (local time) and arrive at Cam Ranh International Airport at 3:50 p.m.
According to Khanh Hoa province’s Department of Tourism, since the beginning of the year Chinese tourists have begun to return to the locality.
In fact, travel companies that specialise in tapping into the Chinese tourism market have co-ordinated efforts with local airlines such as Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air to organise charter flights from major Chinese cities to Khanh Hoa.
Meanwhile, China Southern Airlines has re-operated its regular flight from Guangzhou to Khanh Hoa from September 29 with a frequency of three flights per week.
The increase in flights on this route is expected to further facilitate tourists’ travel, thereby contributing to attracting international arrivals in general and Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa in particular during the last months of this year and into early 2024.
Green, sustainable tourism becomes major trend
Amid a rising trend of green and sustainable tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam is advised to design a strategy and measures to promote green tourism development and better meet tourists’ demands, reported VNA.
 |
| A tourism facility in Ta Dung, Dak Nong province. (Photo: hanoimoi.vn) |
Over the years, Vietnam’s tourism sector has made big steps forwards in terms of visitor number and revenue in both domestic and international markets. However, the sector’s growth is posing pressure on natural and cultural preservation in destinations.
Experts held that as Vietnam's tourism is mainly based on available natural and cultural resources, ensuring its green development and responsibility to the environment and society is the only way for the sector to grow and become a national spearhead economic sector.
The Eurobarometer survey on Attitudes of Europeans towards tourism shows that COVID-19 will likely have long-term impacts on EU citizens’ travelling behavior, while also demonstrating the growing importance of sustainable tourist offers for the recovery of tourism.
The survey finds out that 38% of European respondents are expecting more domestic travelling in the future. A large majority of EU citizens (82%) are prepared to change some of their habits to support more sustainable tourism, for example, by consuming local products (55%), choosing ecological means of transport (36%) or by paying more to protect the natural environment (35%) or to benefit the local community (33%).
A survey by the Institute for Tourism Development Research under the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) on the willingness of international tourists in developing sustainable tourism showed that 76% are willing to reduce holiday waste; 62% are ready to consume local products; 45% prefer transport that has little impact on the environment; 45% choose time off outside of peak season; 38% are willing to support local communities; 31% can choose a less popular destination; and 28% are willing to reduce water use during vacation.
In reality, the habit of green consumption has not only been popular among foreign tourists but also among domestic visitors.
 |
| In September 2023, Silk Sense Hoi An River Resort officially announces that it is a resort free of plastic waste and single-use plastic items. (Photo:nhandan.vn) |
According to a survey by Booking.com, 88% of domestic tourists said that COVID-19 pandemic has prompted them to travel in a sustainable manner.
They tend to be more willing to pay more to reduce impacts to the environment and local cultural heritage, while standing ready to join activities to save the environment in destinations.
Realising the trend, many localities have paid greater attention to green tourism development. Hoi An city has called for tourists’ reduction of single-use plastic waste towards a goal of cutting 13-15% of plastic waste each year and no plastic waste by 2025.
Co To island of Quang Ninh province has also applied similar policy, advising tourists to not take plastic bags and bottles with them while travelling.
In a decision issued on July 22, 2022 on a national action plan on green growth in the 2021-2030 period, the Prime Minister asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to focus on completing institutions and policy on tourism development management towards green and sustainable direction, and prioritising green tourism models and products.
The national tourism development strategy until 2030 also clarified the sustainable and inclusive direction of Vietnamese tourism basing on green growth and the optimising of tourism’s contributions to sustainable development goals.
Pham Thi Hai Yen from Hanoi University of Culture held that Vietnam should design preferential investment policies for green tourism projects, and invest more on the research and application of technologies and the use of alternative energy, and promoting “3R” (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) habit during tourism activities.
From a business perspective, Cao Quoc Chung, Deputy Director of Vidotour company’s branch in Hanoi, affirmed that Vietnam can fully grasp and take advantage of the trend of choosing green tourism among tourists to harmonise tourism development and community ecological environment protection.
It is necessary to pay special attention to creating memorable experiences and interactions for tourists with the local community, as this is an important factor helping to boost tourism development in a sustainable, environmentally and socially responsible manner, he said./.