On November 14, a conference titled “Developing efficiency policy for responsible Tourism in Vietnam” took place in the central coastal city of Da Nang.
The conference is organized by the EU-funded Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme, under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Administration of Tourism.
The event gathered 200 policy makers, tourism industry managers and professionals representing national and provincial organizations.
The second ESRT responsible tourism conference focused on tourism policy that should integrate instruments and mechanisms that will ensure further intensive and efficient tourism development in Vietnam, but at the same time respect the principles of sustainability and responsibility in a complex and heterogeneous tourism industry on national and provincial/destination levels.
At the conference, participants discussed ESRT framework proposals for responsible tourism for Vietnam, measures and instruments for responsible policy, compared practices implemented and experienced, internationally recognized labels for environmentally friendly tourism businesses, safe coasts, accessible resorts and tourist capacities, and energy saving hotels.
It aimed to contribute to more intensive implementation of sustainable and responsible policy measures in tourism policy and operations, to stimulate the public private dialogue in policy design and to spread the incentives for tourism development also on provincial/destination level.
Responsible tourism is the only option for competitive, high value-added tourism, with excellent products and services. Responsible tourism in Vietnam will open high-end markets, increase experiences of visitors and their satisfaction, and will contribute to economic and social welfare of the nation.