NEWSLETTER NO. 6 - FEBRUARY 2014
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISMVIETNAM NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION OF TOURISM
Responsible Tourism Policy Conference 2013
EU-MCST Signing Ceremonyon Sustainable Tourism
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
Programme Implementation UnitAddress: Room 402, 4th Floor, Vinaplast – Tai Tam Building39A Ngo Quyen Street, Hanoi, VietnamTel: (84 4) 3734 9357Fax: (84 4) 3734 9359E-mail: [email protected]: www.esrt.vn
CONTENTS
Publication Authorisation Number: 222-2013/CXB/155-05/GTVT issued on 06/08/2013Design by Heart&Mind
3 EU-MCST Signing Ceremony on Sustainable Tourism
4 Responsible Tourism Policy Conference 2013
5 Speakers Corner
7 Tourism Business Forum 2013 in Hanoi
11-12 Responsible Tourism Training Programme in Malaysia
12 UNWTO Ninh Binh Declaration on Spiritual Tourism
6 Vietnam’s Tourism Advisory Board urges deepening
of partnerships in tourism marketing
10-11 Tourism and Climate Change in Vietnam
9 Environmental-friendly Labelling: Green Lotus for Accommodation
8 Familiarization Trip to Northwestern Provinces
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Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST)
Hoang Tuan Anh and Vice President of the
European Commission (EU), Commissioner
for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Antonio Tajani inked
a Letter of Intent on cooperation for strengthening
relations and cooperation in the field of sustainable
tourism.
Both sides agreed to work jointly towards the
establishment of a periodic dialogue and exchange
of information between their respective initiatives in
the field of tourism, to ensure the development of
sustainability and competitiveness in tourism in the
European Union and in Vietnam.
The Letter of Intent also said Vietnam and EU would
promote the exchange of good practices in the
development of sustainable tourism among European
and Vietnamese tourism authorities and main
stakeholders, including the academic world, notably in
the fields of natural and cultural heritage preservation
and promotion, small and medium- size enterprises,
training and skills development and the improvement of
tourism services quality.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Hoang Tuan
Anh praised the support and cooperation of the EU with
Vietnam, particularly in the field of tourism. Vietnam
tourism set the targets to receive 8 million foreign and
over 37.5 million domestic arrivals, contributing over 10
billion USD to the state budget in 2013. The development
cooperation and support of the EU has been helping
Vietnam fulfil the set targets, he added.
Vice President Antonio Tajani affirmed that EU would
like to continue and develop bilateral ties with Vietnam
including the sustainable tourism development and
other fields of culture, sports and family. He said, EU is
willing to share its experience with Vietnam in building
development models of sustainable and responsible
tourism, pledging the Union’s participation in bilateral
tourism activities and cultural exchanges in the months
to come.
EU has been assisting Vietnam in realising the ESRT
Programme between 2011 and 2015, which is funded
with 11 million EUR by EU and 1.1 million EUR by
the Vietnamese Government to build capacities and
strengthen the foundation of the Vietnamese Tourism
Sector for socially and environmentally responsible and
inclusive growth with already over 7.000 participants
attending workshops and conferences organised by ESRT
or with its involvement and more than 1.000 trained
participants from administrations, businesses and
communities.
Given the long-standing successful development
cooperation and support of the European Union in
Tourism Human Resource Development and promotion
of Responsible Tourism in Vietnam, Minister Hoang Tuan
Anh also presented its recognition and appreciation
to EU support by awarded the Medal "for the cause of
culture, sports and tourism" to the Ambassador, EU Head
of Delegation to Vietnam, Mr. Franz Jessen.
EU-MCSTSigning Ceremonyon Sustainable Tourism
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
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FEBRUARY 2014NO. 6
In the Conference on Responsible Tourism Policy
held in Da Nang in November 2013 with nearly 200
delegates from across Vietnam’s tourism industry,
private and public sectors a series of policy statements
for the business sector, at destination level, on awareness
raising and common policy issues were articulated to
complement the Responsible Tourism Policy Framework
which guides the sustainable development of tourism in
Vietnam.
Questions which have been addressed during the
conference such as ‘how to incorporate sustainability into
tourism policies and plans?’, ‘which policy areas create
an enabling environment for businesses and the tourism
industry as a whole?’ or ‘what are key instruments and
actions resulting from a Responsible Tourism policy?’
were aimed to receiving contributions for the policy
development and to encourage Government of Vietnam
and tourism stakeholder to adopt the concept of a
Responsible Tourism Policy, which will help create a
competitive advantage necessary for Vietnam’s tourism
sector to mature and flourish and continue to contribute
to broad-based socio-economic development well into
the future.
The intense debate in the working groups on several
“hot topics” proved that the collaborative approach
undertaken, policy development in conjunction with the
tourism industry, as well as an emphasis on regional or
local level decision-making was necessary to build the
policy development process on a solid foundation. This
should now result in stronger public-private partnerships
and greater horizontal and vertical co-ordination of
relevant government authorities as well as mechanisms
which need to be established to guarantee a continuing
dialogue on co-operation and policy debate, while
building on a well-coordinated industry representation.
Responsible Tourism in Vietnam is already receiving high-
level attention and commitment in important areas, as is
evident through e.g. Visitor Support Center, promoting
the role and responsibilities of associations, improving
the service quality, hygiene, safety and security, Green
Lotus Programme, Vietnam Tourism Marketing Strategy,
and the development of Responsible Tourism Standards
within the Vietnam Tourism Occupational Standards -
VTOS.
While recognizing the current activities and achievements
it is also important to note that more still needs to be
done. Awareness, understanding, commitment, sharing
responsibilities and taking action still require on-going
support. It is important to continue with this process in a
strategic manner, and at all levels.
With the support of ESRT, the Responsible Tourism Policy
development process can be further escorted through
both institutional and human capacity building.
ResponsibleTourism Policy Conference 2013
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
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Vu The Binh reviewed some
necessary policy issues to be
implemented, including tourism
planning and promotion, investment for tourism
facilities, security and safety, sectorial inspection, human
resources, responsible tourism development, promotion
of a tourism stimulus programme, and the revision of the
tourism legislation.
Ken Atkinson discussed the impacts
of unsustainable tourism policies
and plans, including key challenges
to sustainable tourism, Vietnam tourism sector
policies issues, impacts of unsustainable tourism and
requirements for a more sustainable tourism policy.
In his presentation Ha Thanh Hai
explored some areas where Public-
Private Dialogue could focus on and
shared some practical experiences of successful Public
Private dialogue and collaboration.
Kai Partale presented the 6 pillars of the Responsible
Tourism Policy Framework for Vietnam: 1. Creating a
dynamic and efficient tourism sector, 2. Supporting
competitiveness with sustainability, 3. Creating broad-
based socio-economic development, 4. Expanding
knowledge and understanding, 5. Investing in
human capital / resources, and 6. Conservation and
enhancement of natural and cultural resources.
Bryan Fornari identified the challenge of a responsible
tourism policy development process to ensure
coordination between Ministries, Agencies, People
Committees and the business sector. A Responsible
Tourism Policy cannot just be a supply driven policy, it
has to come from the industry and be a demand driven
process. Success will be measured bythe capacity of
the business sector to buy into a Responsible Tourism
Policy as a way to ensure higher quality, more value-
added and tourism sustainability.
Bryan Fornari, Deputy Head of International Cooperation, European Union Deletion to Vietnam
Kai Partale, Tourism Sector Specialist, ESRT
Vu The Binh,Vice-Chairman, Vietnam
Tourism Association
Ken Atkinson, Vice-Chairman, Tourism
Advisory Board
Ha Thanh Hai, Tourism Expert, ESRT
In his presentation Chairman Nguyen Van Tuan from
VNAT explored some of the most challenges facing
responsible tourism development in Vietnam and the
directions for a Responsible Tourism Policy.
Nguyen Van Tuan, Chairman, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism
Speakers CornerENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME5
FEBRUARY 2014NO. 6
The third meeting of the Tourism Advisory Board
(TAB) took place in Ho Chi Minh City in December
2013 to deliberate on strategies to deepen mutual
marketing initiatives between the country’s tourism
sector and the government.
Welcoming the participants, Nguyen Van Tuan, Chairman
of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT),
stressed “the Vietnam Tourism Industry needs to
strengthen its public and private cooperation in
marketing activities to better cope with fierce competition
from other countries”.
After a short review of TAB activities from the last meeting
in May 2013, the committee members were presented
with a summary of VNAT marketing initiatives in 2013
and the plan for 2014. ESRT’s Tourism Sector Specialist,
Kai Partale briefed the participants of ESRT’s support to
strengthen VNAT’s tourism marketing and indicated that
Vietnam Tourism Marketing is seeking stronger business
sector alliances, instead of acting alone. He stressed the
critical need to connect tourism promotion programmes
of tourism businesses with the marketing programmes at
the national level in order to realise synergies and exploit
the full potential of Vietnam’s tourism marketing efforts.
With tourism marketing being a high priority for TAB
members, they discussed the government’s present plans
and gave recommendations on a partnership framework
that would work best for undertaking joint marketing
initiatives and how it could be delivered successfully.
Two of the key recommendations of the TAB were to:
• Raise a tourism marketing fund that is supported by large enterprises. The funds can then be carefully allocated to promotional activities in targeted markets based upon a thorough analysis. If the programme is clearly outlined with explicit benefits for related parties, greater participation and success can be hoped for.
• Build more effective partnerships through better planning and management and cross-sector collaboration. The early and broad communication of VNAT marketing programmes to business community will result in greater contribution and collaboration. Other tourism related sectors should also be seen as viable partners in relevant promotional campaigns – for example, foreign affairs and trade and investment.
The TAB Chairman Mr Mr. Trần Hùng Việt concluded the
meeting stating that “the discussions were very positive
and many good ideas have been set forth. The TAB
Marketing Working Group is now requested to continue
to work with VNAT to complete the ideas”.
Established in 2012 and supported by the ESRT
Programme, the TAB aims to advise VNAT to increase
Vietnam’s competitive advantage as a sustainable tourism
and travel destination.
Vietnam’s Tourism Advisory Board urges deepening of partnerships in tourism marketing
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
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There is growing recognition
of the need for collaboration
between public sector,
businesses and other stakeholders
within the sector, covering the
economic, social and environmental
aspects of tourism. Increasingly,
public-private collaboration or more
formal partnerships are found in
tourism governance structures (e.g.
Tourism Advisory Board) and also
in the delivery of various tourism
functions and services.
In December 2013, ESRT supported
the fourth Tourism Business Forum
between the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism (MCST),
Vietnam National Administration of
Tourism (VNAT), Vietnam Tourism
Association (VITA) and the business
sector in Hanoi to discuss a range
of issues such as: establishing and
delivering marketing campaigns,
funding mechanisms for tourism,
visa regulations, classification of
accommodations, coordination
with other ministries, providing
information services, developing
tourism infrastructure, regulations
for tourism enterprises, tourism
and climate change, investing in
education and training as well as
awareness raising for tourism. In
2012, earlier Tourism Business
forums also supported by ESRT took
place in Hanoi, HCMC and Hoi An.
Partnership
structures can
be valuable
in bringing
together
government
and businesses
on an informal
basis to show
that the
concerns of
the businesses
are taken seriously. However, the
question still remains as to how this
public-private dialogue on tourism
governance at a macro and micro
level can become fully effective in
the future. One way could be signing
a Memorandum of Understanding
between the parties to officially
establish this Public-Private Dialogue
Forum. It would be composed of
senior people who are able to take
decisions, and include the MCST,
VNAT, business sector associations
as well as business owners; other
ministries and authorities could be
called on as appropriate.
The Tourism Business Forum would
then consider policies (e.g. Vietnam
Responsible Tourism Policy) and
their implementation, and ensure
that actions agreed are followed
through and comments received
would be passed on to the others
boards / committees, e.g. Tourism
Advisory Board or National Steering
Committee on Tourism.
Tourism Business Forum 2013 in Hanoi
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
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FEBRUARY 2014NO. 6
Familiarization Tripto Northwestern Provinces
With their key importance to the domestic
and international travel market in Vietnam,
tour operators wield significant power and
influence in the shaping of tourism in the country. This
can however, be both an opportunity and a challenge for
the sustainable development of tourism in Vietnam.
In order to aim for a Responsible Tourism Product
Development a familiarisation trip for 75 Tour Operators
and Media Representatives to 8 Northwest Provinces
organized by Vietnam Tourism Association and
supported by ESRT took place from 27 Oct – 03 Nov
2013.
During the familiarization trip two workshops have been
conducted in Phu Tho and Ha Giang organised by the
Phu Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism
and Ha Giang People Committee in collaboration with
Vietnam Tourism Association and supported by the ESRT
Programme.
The workshop in Phu Tho concentrated on assessing
the feasibility and potentials of the tourist route
"Exploring cultural heritage land of Hung King" with 20
additional representatives from Phu Tho Province, while
the workshop in Ha Giang focussed on “Responsible
Tourism Development in Dong Van Geopark - turning
into a National Tourism Destination” and more than 40
provincial representatives joined that meeting.
The familiarization trip and its technical meetings were
also a great opportunity for public sector representatives
and the business community to meet and discuss jointly
for the sustainable tourism development in 8 Northwest
Provinces.
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ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
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FEBRUARY 2014NO. 6
A recent Vietnam hotel survey revealed signs of
progress within 3-5 star hotels in awareness
of sustainability issues and interest in the
implementation of the Green Lotus. However, many hotels
have not yet taken the opportunity of Green Lotus labelling
and are therefore losing the benefits of marketing and
distribution and are not meeting the requirement of many
international operators.
With the Green Lotus programme, Vietnam’s local hotel
sector has a set of officially recognised standards in
sustainability that provide a clear “definition” of what
“green” means and practical steps that operators
should implement in order to meet varying levels of
sustainability.
The application of the Green Lotus Label represents
the first step to contribute to the standardisation of
management and environmental protection for the
accommodation sector and for tourism in general.
The Green Lotus programme raises awareness and
demonstrates how tourist accommodation can establish
systems on natural resources, energy, reduce waste,
management environmental protection, purchasing
and use of equipment and products and how goods are
evaluated and certified as environmentally friendly. The
programme also provides the opportunity for Vietnam’s
hotel sector to work towards international integration
and brand reputation in the supply system certification for
environmental protection. This helps raise the international
reputation and provides an incentive for companies to
invest and maximise resource-saving measures and/or
technologies.
Further implementation and expansion of the Green Lotus
programme will be fostered by ESRT with VNAT through
three key phases:
• Phase one shall see ESRT undertake a sector situation
analysis in order to clearly understand current
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the
implementation of the Green Lotus programme. The
analysis will include a business sector assessment, an
analysis of future funding sources and mechanisms, a
SWOT analysis and an analysis of certification, inspection
and capacity development needs.
• The second phase will see the development of a detailed
strategy “road map” for the effective implementation and
expansion of the Green Lotus programme. Business
benefits for “going green” will be highlighted, stakeholder
sessions will be held on good practice, a marketing plan
for the Green Lotus programme will be developed, and
support will be provided in the preparation of market-
oriented promotional activities.
• The third and final phase will focus on reviewing
implementation status and strengthening capacity.
Support will be provided to marketing activities, training
and coaching measures will be defined and implemented
to increase the capacity of auditors and inspectors, and
further solutions to enhance industry understanding of
Green Lotus will be identified.
The ESRT support to the Green Lotus programme activities
started in January 2014.
Potential negative environmental impacts of the hotel sector from unsustainable practices
• Contribution to air pollution and global warming through high energy use sourced from fossil fuels.
• Contribution to water shortages due to excessive water use in destinations with limited water resources
• Pollution or contamination of ground and surface water, degradation of coral reefs and potential threats to human health from untreated wastewater, poor solid waste management practices, and improper use, storage or disposal of hazardous chemicals such as pesticides and cleaning liquids.
Environmental-friendly Labelling: Green Lotus for Accommodation
Vietnam’s tourism (and
economic development)
faces severe threats
from climate change over the
next thirty years according to
recent analysis of climate change
impacts (Maplecroft Climate
Change Vulnerability Index, 2013).
Climate change is a reality, as
temperatures are increasing, sea
levels rising, and rainfall becoming
more variable. As a result, Vietnam
will continue to suffer from floods,
droughts, high temperatures and the
impact of salinity.
Vietnam is urgently seeking ways of
sustaining its marine economy as
climate change warms and raises sea
levels – and, together with massive
pollution, continues to destroy
the nation's 110,000 hectares of
coral reefs. Of the 110,000 coral
reefs, only 14.5 percent are now in
good condition (Vietnam Institute
of Meteorology, Hydrology and
Environment, 2013).
Rising sea levels could leave almost
30 percent of Hoi
An town submerged
by floods by 2020,
the Quang Nam
Province People’s
Committee has
warned. Da Nang is
also facing impacts
of climate change including flooding
and salination. A local government
initiative to use the Geographic
Information System (GIS) to evaluate
the impact of climate change on local
tourism activities is being developed
along with an action plan is to
enhance climate change mitigation
by 2020 (Da Nang Steering
Committee for the Response to
Climate Change and Sea Level Rises
/ Da Nang Department of Culture,
Sport and Tourism, 2013).
What can the tourism sector do
to help mitigate the impacts of
climate change? ESRT recommends
a number of strategies – at
government, corporate, individual
and customer levels to tackle the
climate change problem.
At government level, Vietnam’s
response to climate change should
focus on tourism adaptation
strategies for responsible tourism
products and destination offerings,
which consider the potential
threat to tourism. Climate change
mitigation will involve technology
changes, and low-carbon energy
technologies, in particular. Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has
approved 61 climate change projects
that aim to deal with urgent matters.
As many as 15 projects have
received funding from the State to
start their working plans.
While most threats from climate
change are beyond the control of
the tourism sector, they often impact
negatively on tourist arrivals. But
good preparation and an efficient
response can minimize the effect on
the industry, encouraging a return
to normalcy as quickly as possible.
This means smaller declines in
visitor arrivals and revenues, fewer
Tourism and Climate Change in Vietnam
Photo: Reuters
The Vietnam Institute for Tourism Development Research stated that extreme weather phenomena brought by climate change might significantly lessen revenue from coastal tourism which accounts for 70 percent of the total revenue of the marine economy.
Dr. Ha Van Sieu,Director Institute for Tourism
Development and Research
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
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Kai Partale,Tourism Sector Specialist, ESRT
A twenty-day Responsible Tourism Training
Programme was held at Taylor’s University in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 2013 for
a group of twenty Vietnamese tourism administrators,
with the official opening by the Deputy Minister of Higher
Education of Malaysia and representatives from the
Vietnamese embassy in Malaysia.
The training covered responsible and sustainable
tourism development, product development and event
management in tourism, tourism service and quality
management and sustainable regional/spatial planning
in tourism.
The training programme was conducted by Taylor’s
University lecturers from the School of Hospitality,
Tourism and Culinary Arts and other experts from the
tourism public and private sectors.
In order to enhance the participants’ learning experience,
various field trips were organized to key tourist
attractions in Malaysia, such as Malacca, Putrajaya, Kuala
Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Banghuris Home
jobs lost, and less time and money needed for recovery
marketing campaigns. Therefore, it helps to be as
prepared as possible with a Tourism Crisis Management
Plan for Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and
partners and to communicate consistent, reassuring
messages to all stakeholders – travel trade partners,
national and international media and potential visitors
alike.
At provincial and district level: Raising awareness
of climate change issues with private businesses, the
general public, schools and at meetings are one way in
which local government can contribute. Local tourism
businesses can review and identify ways in which
‘responsible tourism and climate change’ principles
can be applied. Are there corporate climate change/
environmental sustainability policies in place and a staff
member who is responsible for implementation? Are
customers and suppliers made aware of the corporate
climate change/sustainability goals and actions? Are
local contractors and local goods used where possible?
Are customers and staff encouraged to save energy
and water and to reduce pollution and waste? In
addition, tour and travel companies and hotels could
develop a Business Continuation Plan to ensure they
are prepared for any natural disasters or emergencies
due to climate change or other factors. Vietnam Tourism
Occupational Standards (VTOS) have some units on
managing incidents and emergencies and implementing
responsible tourism practices to support tourism
businesses in times of crises.
At an individual level, are there ways in which tourists
can reduce their carbon footprint by planning travel
carefully to reduce the amount of carbon generated
through air and land travel? How do individuals become
responsible tourists, and contribute to the future
sustainability of the wonderful tourism natural resources
of Vietnam?
These important questions for local government, tourism
companies, tourism employees and tourists need to be
answered and action taken if Vietnam is to continue to
develop as a natural tourism destination.
Responsible Tourism Training Programme in Malaysia
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
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NO. 6
Kai Partale,Tourism Sector Specialist, ESRT
FEBRUARY 2014
UNWTO Ninh Binh Declaration on Spiritual Tourism
Stay and other attractions in Kuala
Lumpur.
The participants gained new
knowledge and skills through the
training programme, which will
impact on the development of
sustainable tourism practices in
Vietnam.
One of the key measurable
outcomes of the training was to
strategically recommend one
important task (Vision 20) that each
participant will implement after the
training in their respective areas of
responsibility.
As over sixty people will take part
in this training programme by
2015, the programme expects sixty
measurable sustainable tourism
impacts in Vietnam.
The next training programmes will
take place in August/September
2014 and June 2015.
The Government of the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam, namely Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism, Vietnam National Administration of
Tourism and the Province of Ninh Binh hosted the first
UNWTO International Conference on Spiritual Tourism
for Sustainable Development with over 350 international
participants to explore ways in which living culture,
traditions and beliefs can be integrated into tourism in
Ninh Binh, Vietnam, on 21-22 November 2013.
Spiritual tourism is a growing sector of the tourism
market in Vietnam. Closely linked to religious and cultural
tourism and with an emphasis on self-awareness,
wellness and renewal, it has become a means to
harmonize body, mind and heart and can be experienced
in many places in Vietnam. Spiritual tourism paves the
way for responsible tourism by raising awareness of
environmental, socio-cultural and economic issues
resulting from spiritual tourism. It respects social and
cultural values and traditions while enabling local
communities to benefit from tourism and contributing to
poverty reduction. Spiritual tourism in Vietnam serves the
key domestic and Asian markets and includes spiritual
festivals, events and visits to sacred shrines.
At the conference, the ESRT presentation “Enhancing the
Positive Effects of Spiritual Tourism through Responsible
Tourism”highlighted how responsible development of
the sector from policy and planning, human resources
and marketing is linked to Spiritual Tourism. It was
demonstrated in a case how responsible tourism is being
applied to enhance the spiritual tourism product such
as the branding for Vietnam “Timeless Charm” leading to
positioning of the cultural product-line / experience zone
and development of key products for targeted source
markets.
The conference concluded with the endorsement of the
Ninh Binh Declaration on Spiritual Tourism.
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