Sustainable tourism development discussed

Delegates from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea (RoK), the Philippines, Mongolia and Vietnam discussed sustainable tourism development at a workshop in Ha Long city in northern coastal Quang Ninh province on September 14.

At the workshop held within the framework of the East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Forum (EATOF), Professor Tran Thi Minh Hoa from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities Tourism Faculty spoke of the advantages of developing sea, sports, cultural and ecological tourism models in Quang Ninh province. Quang Ninh is one of the country’s four major tourism centres and home of world-famous Ha Long Bay, twice recognised by the UNESCO for its landscape and geological value, said Professor Hoa.

The delegates suggested Quang Ninh should zone off deluxe tourism areas, invest in clean energy, develop tourism products and train human resources. Meanwhile, Dr Milagros C. Espina from the San Jose University in the Philippines introduced a waste management and natural resources programme called ‘Winning over Waste’ (WOW).

The success of WOW will encourage similar activities in EATOF and reduce the impact of climate change, he said, emphasising the necessity exchanging information among cultures about WOW and other initiatives. EATOF must have a comprehensive policy on environmental protection from climate change and develop a programme for its members to assist one another, he said.

The workshop also heard speeches on rural tourism development in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta province, tourism education in Mongolia, undersea tourism and new adventure tourism development in Sarawak in Malaysia. An EATOF travel fair opened in Ha Long city on September 14 as one of the forum’s first activities.

The two-day fair saw the participation of travel agencies from eight provinces, namely Cebu (the Philippines), Gangwon (RoK), Luang Prabang (Laos), Sarawak (Malaysia), Siem Reap (Cambodia), Tottori (Japan), Tuv (Mongolia) and Yogyakarta (Indonesia).

Vietnamese travel agencies from Hanoi, Quang Ninh and the northern port city of Hai Phong also introduced their products at the event. The second sea tourism and flight route committee was reestablished at a conference held by the EATOF organising board on September 14.

Sourced=nhandan