Tourism businesses cooperate to develop 'green' and sustainable tourism

The 18th Festival of Tourism Enterprises (The Guide Awards) was successfully held on Phu Quoc Island.

According to statistics from the General Department of Tourism, the number of international visitors to Vietnam as of September 2017 is estimated at 9,448,331, an increase of 28.4% over the same period in 2016. Of which, Phu Quoc Island alone welcomed 242,999 international visitors, an increase of 25.1% over the same period last year with revenue reaching 2,873.9 billion VND, an increase of 24.9% over the same period.

This shows the strong attraction of this beautiful island with 62% of its area being primeval forest and hundreds of kilometers of coastline. Phu Quoc tourism is changing strongly with a series of high-end resort projects being implemented and soon to be put into operation. It is expected that by 2020, Phu Quoc will have about 10,000 new hotel rooms and attract more domestic and international tourists to this 'resort tourism star'. However, the problem is that, without a reasonable plan, Phu Quoc will likely have to face the situation of over-development of tourism, leading to many negative consequences for the environment and natural resources.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, acknowledged the contribution of Vietnam Economic Times to the development of the tourism industry.

Putting the primary concern on tourism development going hand in hand with natural resource conservation is the reason why The Guide Awards this year is held in Phu Quoc Island. With the main theme “Green Tourism for Green Economy”, The Guide Awards hopes to be a ‘bridge’ where tourism businesses and policy makers meet, exchange and discuss, together towards a ‘green’ and sustainable tourism development in the future.

“On behalf of the tourism industry and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, I would like to congratulate the businesses receiving the awards today. I also welcome and appreciate the great efforts of Vietnam Economic Times over the past 18 years to maintain this Award,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism at the Festival of Tourism Enterprises - The Guide Awards, “Tourism really needs the joint efforts of the whole community, and Vietnam Economic Times has taken practical actions to contribute to the development of Vietnam tourism.”

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan added: "Perhaps never before has the tourism industry received such attention from Party and State leaders, from industry leaders at all levels, and never before has Vietnamese tourism faced such strong development opportunities as in the current period.

The Guide Awards 2017 Tourism Business Festival with the participation of more than 200 businesses in the tourism sector, meeting and exchanging experiences

The Politburo has issued Resolution 08 on spearhead tourism development. On June 9, the Prime Minister officially signed the Government's Action Program to implement Resolution 08 of the Politburo and the National Assembly, promulgated the 2017 Tourism Law in June and officially took effect from January 2018.

In 2016, Vietnam tourism has made a breakthrough recovery and development with the reception of 10 million international tourists, an increase of 26% compared to the same period last year, and in the first 9 months of 2017, Vietnam tourism has welcomed 9.5 million international tourists. We will achieve the target that the government has given to the tourism industry, which is to welcome and serve 13 million international tourists and 75 million domestic tourists in 2017. The expected growth rate is 30% and the total direct revenue is 500 trillion VND, equivalent to about 23 billion USD."

“With such a contribution, it can be said that Vietnam tourism is developing positively and making an important contribution to the socio-economy. Tourism alone will contribute approximately 1% to the country's 6.7% economic growth in 2017.”

Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Economic Times, spoke at the ceremony.

“This year’s World Tourism Day was recently organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in Qatar with the theme “Sustainable tourism – a tool for development” with the aim of honoring sustainable values ​​in tourism development plans, contributing and directly impacting the growth and development of the economies of countries, regions and the world,” Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Editor-in-Chief – Vietnam Economic Times, said at The Guide Awards Ceremony.

Deeply aware of the meaning and value of conservation and sustainable development, Economic Times wishes to contribute its small efforts, accompanying tourism businesses towards the noble goal of "Developing green tourism for a green economy". This year, with the outstanding criteria of ensuring green values ​​and sustainable development, The Guide Awards Organizing Committee surveyed, collected opinions, voted and honored 115 brands divided into 6 service groups, including: Resorts (with 40 resorts), Hotels (37 hotels), Apartment for rent (02 apartment buildings), Restaurants (18 Restaurants), Travel Agencies (17 units) and Shopping & Health Care Services (4 businesses).

In the Resort Services group, the highest ranking (Top-notch resorts of the year - Vietnam's leading resort in 2017) was awarded to 6 resorts: Amanoi Resort, An Lam Retreats Ninh Van Bay, Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay, Nam Nghi Phu Quoc Island, Naman Retreat not only for their unique and luxurious architecture but also for their 'green values' and commitment to harmonious development, coupled with the conservation of natural resources.

In the Hotel category, the highest honorable ranking (Top-notch hotels of the year - Vietnam's Leading Accommodation Facility in 2017) belongs to 4 hotels: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, The Reverie Saigon Hotel, Park Hyatt Saigon and JW Marriott Hanoi.

In particular, with the criteria of operating in line with the task of protecting the environment, preserving and developing in harmony with the natural landscape, 8 other tourism units won the 2017 Green Lotus Award, including: Amanoi Resort, An Lam Retreats Ninh Van Bay, Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa, KOI Resort & Spa Hoi An, Laguna Langco, Mango Bay Resort, Nam Nghi Phu Quoc Island and Princess d'An Nam Resort & Spa.

The Thanh