Ha Giang plans to charge visitors to Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark to meet construction and development needs.
Mr. Hoang Xuan Don, Head of the Management Board of Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark (DGPG), said that Ha Giang province is finalizing a project to collect fees for visiting the Geopark.
The Geopark was established in September 2009, comprising four districts: Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, and Meo Vac with a total natural area of approximately 2,356 km2. By 2010, the Dong Van Karst Plateau had been recognized by UNESCO as the first UNESCO Geopark in Vietnam.
Investment resources for the construction and development of the Geopark are used from the local budget such as the transportation system, clean water, electricity, career conversion and economic model, political security and national defense. However, according to Mr. Don, with the development trend of the Geopark in the coming period, if we only wait for the subsidy funding from the state budget, there will be "a serious shortage, unable to meet the needs of construction and development".
Tu San Alley, located at the foot of Ma Pi Leng Pass, Meo Vac, Ha Giang, is a place that has not yet collected tourism fees. Photo: Ngoc Thanh
In particular, with the increasingly high recommendation system and criteria of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network, as well as the demand from tourists, investment resources for infrastructure, promotion, education, conservation and management are also increasing. The cost for each re-evaluation period will exceed the province's capacity.
Mr. Don added that there are about 40 points within the Geopark that can collect fees, but Ha Giang province has only collected fees at three points, including Lung Khuy Cave (Quan Ba); Nha Vuong, Lung Cu Flagpole (Dong Van). From 2017 to 2021, the total fees collected were about 29 billion VND, after being paid to the budget, only 17.2 billion VND remained.
"When referring to the experience of some countries and provinces in the country, we realize that charging fees to tourist attractions contributes significantly to the conservation and development of cultural heritage sites associated with tourism development," said Mr. Don.
However, each tourist attraction has a different approach depending on the practical conditions of each country and each locality. At the Geopark, the fee collection scope is expected to apply to all four districts but does not include the entrance fee at three locations: Lung Khuy Cave, Nha Vuong House, and Lung Cu Flagpole. Ha Giang plans to collect fees based on the number of stays, specifically 30,000 VND per night for adults and 15,000 VND per night for children.
It is expected that by 2024, the number of visitors to the Geopark can collect tickets at about 1.78 million, with a revenue of more than 70 billion VND. The collected funds will be spent on the fee collection management unit, accommodation facilities that directly collect fees, preserve, protect, and develop new products at the Geopark.
Tu Nguyen
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