Responsible and sustainable tourism, core of a community-based project developing sustainability practices among travelers and stakeholders, has yielded fruits since its launch in the central provinces of Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue one year ago.
The 900,000 USD project began in January 2014 and lasted through December 2015 under the auspices of the UNESCO Office and the International Labour Organisation in Viet Nam, equipping tour operators and locals with skills needed to raise their incomes while preserving their cultural values.
It roped in 25 tour operators, 11 schools, three districts in Quang Nam and another one in Thua Thien-Hue to provide tour packages for holiday-makers.
In Dhroong brocade weaving village in Quang Nam Province, a part of its population lives on tourism by taking tourists to places of attraction and introducing local cultural lives to them.
Looking forward, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue are to ramp up infrastructure and offer incentives to any stakeholder in the project, including the locals.
A marketing campaign will spread further to boost visitor number, which currently stays at modest level.