On September 5, the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair (ITE HCMC) officially opened in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. This is an opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to learn from international partners about motivational mechanisms and policies to develop tourism in the accelerated phase of implementing Resolution 98/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly on piloting specific mechanisms and policies.
Sustainable Tourism - Building the Future
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, said that after more than 2 years of restoring operations, the global tourism industry has almost recovered compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the United Nations Tourism Organization, in the first quarter of 2024, there were more than 285 million international tourists worldwide, reaching 97% compared to before the pandemic.
For Vietnam, in the first 7 months of 2024, the total number of international visitors reached nearly 10 million, an increase of 51% over the same period last year and an increase of nearly 2% over the same period in 2019. Along with the recovery in the number of visitors, tourism trends have also changed a lot.
In order to implement the Vietnamese Government's commitment towards the goal of zero emissions, in recent times, Vietnam has implemented many programs and plans towards sustainable development in all fields, including tourism.
"The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City have chosen the theme "Sustainable Tourism - Creating the Future" for ITE HCMC 2024. This is a commitment of Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular to effectively implement tourism development activities in line with UNESCO's 17 sustainable development criteria and towards reducing emissions, protecting the natural and cultural environment in each activity of the fair" - said Mr. Nguyen Van Dung.
One of the highlights of ITE HCMC 2024 is the High-Level Tourism Forum themed "Green Transformation, Net Zero Tourism - Creating the Future".
Pavnesh Kumar, Director of Research and Sustainability at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), looks at how destinations can differentiate themselves by stepping up their commitment to sustainability and achieving net zero emissions. "This is a golden time for conscious travel. Surveys show that travelers from Japan, Hong Kong (China)... are willing to spend more on sustainable travel options. At the same time, in India, Vietnam and China, travelers are the ones who want to prioritize sustainable travel the most," said Pavnesh Kumar.
Booking.com’s 2023 Travel Confidence Index survey also found that 90% of consumers are looking for sustainable options when traveling. PATA experts stress the need for destinations to adapt their marketing strategies to the values of this emerging traveler segment. Destinations that incorporate sustainability into their marketing can see up to a 20% increase in arrivals from environmentally conscious travelers.
Domestic and international buyers seek information at the Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair on September 5.
Need clear criteria
The advantages of green tourism and the transition towards sustainable development are inevitable, but one of the obstacles pointed out by experts is the high initial cost and the need for clear criteria for businesses to implement.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietravel Group, shared a story about 5 years ago, Vietravel was one of the first enterprises to implement green and sustainable tourism. However, at that time, the above concept was still new so it was not successful and now the enterprise has to do it again.
Vietravel's three main development orientations in the coming time are green business, digital and circular economy. This company is building a strategy for the next 10 years but is also very confused about the criteria and basic goals to determine green criteria and green business. For example, each year, this company serves about 1 million visitors, each person only needs to use 2 bottles of mineral water, which will release 2 million plastic bottles into the environment. Tourism is a comprehensive economic sector, so it also uses the supply chain system of other sectors. Many destinations are facing difficulties due to garbage and need to solve it if they do not want their reputation and brand to be affected.
To implement green tourism towards net zero, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky proposed to build a set of criteria to connect businesses and update and rank emission control. As early as 2025, it is possible to choose the year of waste classification at source, proactively deploy waste classification at source, and at the same time build a set of criteria to control carbon emissions for the tourism industry, with adjustments and updates...
Speaking at the High-Level Tourism Forum, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung emphasized that in order to strongly promote green transformation in tourism towards the goal of net zero by 2050, the tourism industry needs to develop in conjunction with technological innovation, efficient use of energy, increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the tourism industry encourages research on innovative methods and application of new technologies to create unique green products, attracting responsible tourists.
"It is necessary to strengthen destination management, zero-plastic waste and low-carbon tourism, and smart applications in tourism to effectively exploit tourism development resources. Raise awareness of tourism development towards green growth, promote the formation of green communities and green destinations..." - Minister Nguyen Van Hung emphasized.
Taking place from September 5 to 7, ITE HCMC 2024 will welcome 700 leaders from the world's leading organizations and businesses in the tourism industry from 38 countries and territories.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-diem-vang-cua-du-lich-xanh-196240905215702174.htm
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