The Swiss Sustainable Tourism Programme (SSTP), the first of its kind funded by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) for Viet Nam, has officially kicked off, according to the programme’s management board.
Specifically, the programme, which aims to raise the competitiveness and sustainability of Vietnamese tourism, will be implemented from late 2018 to May 2022, targeting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and training establishments through technical assistance.
It will popularise sustainable tourism models to SMEs, small hotels, homestay services suppliers, so that they can expand the presence of sustainable tourism models and products to newly-emerging destinations and those which are less attractive to tourists.
The programme comprises of sub-projects that are built in conformity with the private sector’s demand as well as cooperation of seven training establishments in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang city, Can Tho city, and Ninh Binh, Quang Nam and An Giang provinces.
SSTP is carried out by a joint venture of consulting companies, including the Germany-based GFA Consulting Group, Vietnam’s Asian Management and Development Institute (AMDI), and Switzerland’s International Management Institute (IMI). It has received support from Hilton Hotels, Victoria Hotels, and Exotissimo Tour Operator.