Responsible Tourism ContestResponsible Tourism Contest … · 2015-07-06 · A total of 32,572 contestants from 1,726 high schools of 38 provinces nationwide were impressive indicators

ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMEFUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION

MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISMVIETNAM NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION OF TOURISM

NEWSLETTER NO. 10 - JUNE, 2015. PUBLISHED BY THE EU-FUNDED ESRT PROGRAMME

VITM 2015VITM 2015Debating on Cultural HeritageDebating on Cultural Heritage

in the light of Responsible Tourismin the light of Responsible Tourism

VITM 2015Debating on Cultural Heritage

in the light of Responsible Tourism

Responsible Tourism ContestResponsible Tourism Contestreaches out to the Vietnamese youthreaches out to the Vietnamese youth

Responsible Tourism Contestreaches out to the Vietnamese youth

Vietnam brings its heritagesVietnam brings its heritagesto ITB Berlin 2015to ITB Berlin 2015

Vietnam brings its heritagesto ITB Berlin 2015

CONTENTS

ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TOURISMCAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

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3 Responsible Tourism Contest reaches out to theVietnamese youth

4Tourism Advisory Board 6th Meeting: TourismDevelopment Fund, International Marketing and Visa Policies

5The new Hanoi-Lao Cai expressway: new opportunities and challenges for tourism in the north

6-7 Spreading the benefits of tourism via the new Hanoi-Lao Cai highway

8 Vietnam brings its heritages to ITB Berlin 2015

9 Delta should be different!

10 VITM 2015 - Debating on Cultural Heritage in the light of Responsible Tourism

11 Building capacity at cultural heritage sites in Responsible Tourism

12 Shifting tourism planning in Vietnam from a systematic to a systemic approach

13 Tourism qualifications & impacts of ASEAN economic community

14 Sustainable event management capacity building in Thanh Hoa & Phu Quoc

14 Vietnam tourism selected for the first EYD2015weekly story in June

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 Unit

Address: 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

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http://www.youtube.com/user/esrtprogramme/videos

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See previous newsletters at http://newsletter.esrt.vn

Editor:Tran Anh ThuPublication Authorisation Number:Decision No. 59/QD-GTVT issued on 30/06/2015. Registed publication No. 399-2015/CXBIPH/5-13/GTVT. ISBN No. 978-604-76-0553-8Designed by Heart&Mind

A total of 32,572 contestants from 1,726 highschools of 38 provinces nationwide were impressive indicators of the Environmentally

and Socially Responsible Tourism Contest co-organised by Vietnam National Administration ofTourism, the ESRT Programme, Thanh Nien Newspaper and the Saigon College of Art, Culture andTourism (Saigonact).

In celebration of the 55th year anniversary of Vietnam’s tourism industry and with the purpose ofraising awareness of the youth on environmentallyand socially responsible tourism topics, the contesttargeted students of high schools across the country.It started from January 1st to June 14th 2015 in threerounds. The total prizes were worth a value of VND175 million including a trans-Vietnam tour for the fivebest contestants and 100 totally-free scholarships inSaigonact to be awarded to 100 best contestants inRound 1.

PhD Vu Khac Chuong - Rector of Saigonact College,Head of the Organisers Board expressed his high appreciation of the quality of submissions: “We received many submissions which is demonstrating theinterest of high schools, the seriousness of

students that the content not only was close to the overalltheme but also reflected the richness and diversity ofopinions”.

“Most of the submissions were great demonstrations ofdeep study, research and information collection, as wellas creativity in addressing solutions for responsibletourism. We especially noticed a number of submissionswith the points nearly the maximum as the example ofNguyen Hoang Phuong Anh – student of Dau Tieng highschool (Binh Duong province) with the score of 99/100”,Mr. Chuong added.

The contest was seen as a great opportunity for students to learn about responsible tourism, understanding the principles of responsible tourismrelated to the use of resources in a sustainable manner, generating benefits for local communities, respecting, preserving and promoting cultural and social authenticity.

The final round of the contest with 20 best contestantswas organised in Ho Chi Minh city and broadcastedlive on VTV9 channel on June 14th, 2015 made a resounding success in spreading out the responsibletourism messages, especially to the young generation.


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Responsible TourismContest reaches outto the Vietnameseyouth

First prize: Nguyen Trung Hieu from Hue High school, Thua Thien - Hue

Second prizes: Ta Hoai Thuong from Bac Binh High school (Binh Thuan) and Nguyen Thi Yen Linh from TranPhu High school (Hai Phong)

Third prizes: Nguyen Hoang Phuong Anh from Dau Tieng High school (Binh Duong) and Huynh Thanh Thanfrom Tran Binh Trong High school (Khanh Hoa)

Top three schools with the highest number of contestants:

Mai Thanh The High school, Soc Trang

Moc Ly High school, Son La

Tan Binh High school, HCMC

O n May 19, 2015, the Tourism Advisory Board(TAB) held its 6th general meeting. Theagenda focused on the establishment of a

tourism development fund, joint marketing initiativesbetween the TAB and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), and policy issuessuch as Vietnam’s visa waiver programme.

Mr. Luong Hoai Nam, CEO of Hai Au Aviation, presented the TAB’s recommendations for the establishment of a tourism development fund. Therecommendations focused on activities to be undertaken and mechanisms for mobilizing funding.Mr. Nam stipulated that members of the private sector, and the TAB in particular, are supportive of thegovernment’s interest to provide greater financial support to the tourism industry. He added that theTAB can assist VNAT and the Ministry of Culture,Sports and Tourism in developing a framework for thetourism development fund.

Mr. Tran Trong Kien, Chairman of Thien Minh Group,provided an update on the proposed joint marketinginitiative proposed in December 2014. Following several meetings with the marketing sub-committee,the marketing working group elected to focus on appointing a professional agency to coordinate aglobal e-marketing campaign. The group released aformal request for proposal to over a dozen qualifiedagencies and is targeting to appoint a lead agency inearly Q3. It was recognized that a joint marketing initiative would assist VNAT and TAB demonstratecredibility in administering public-private funding andprovide a track record for larger undertakings such asthe proposed tourism development fund.

The policy working group, led by Mr. Ken Atkinson,Vice Chairman of TAB, addressed several subjects,

including land issues identified by VNAT and visa policy recommendations. For the latter, Mr. Atkinsonindicated that members of the industry strongly advocate for an expansion of the visa waiver programme and, at the very least, an improvement ofthe current visa-on-arrival system. The working papersubmitted for review highlighted ways in which Vietnam could increase its competitiveness as a destination by easing its visa regulations. In light ofthe weak international arrivals in 2015, the membersof the TAB collectively agreed that VNAT should continue to push for expanded visa waivers.

In addition to the updates from the working groups,Mr. Vu Quoc Tri, Programme Director of ESRT, led adiscussion on how to ensure the ongoing operationsof the TAB following the conclusion of the ESRT programme later this year. The members agreed thatan independent secretariat should be established tocontinue the work currently supported by the ESRTprogramme office.

Mr. Bryan Fornari, Deputy Head of Economic Cooperationand Governance of the European Union Delegation toVietnam, was in attendance and commended thegroup’s progress in strengthening the relationship between public and private sectors. He supported thecontinuation of the TAB, highlighting the successfulinitiatives that were just recently taking shape.


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Tourism Advisory Board6th Meeting: TourismDevelopment Fund, International Marketingand Visa Policies

Citizens from the UK, France, Germany, Spainand Italy will now be able enjoy visa exemptionsfor stays that last no longer than 15 days.

According to the recently issued Resolution No46/NQ-CP, the policy will be in effect for one year,starting from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016(Source: Vietnamplus.vn, June 18, 2015)

W ith the opening of the new Hanoi to LaoCai (HL) expressway, the north of Vietnamis finally connected to the rest of the country,

offering commuters significantly reduced travel timesbetween Hanoi and Lao Cai of up to 50 percent.

This increased accessibility to the North is expected toincrease the volume of visitation to the region andoffer new opportunities for tourism. An analysis conducted by the EU-ESRT programme has revealedhowever, that the HL expressway may also create arange of other, unexpected changes for tourism in theregion due to expressway creating changes in travelpreferences and travel flows, which could then impacton the provision of tourism services in destinations inthe region.

Through a series of industry and government round-tables in Phu Tho, Yen Bai and Lao Cai and a follow-uproundtable with tour operators in Hanoi, there aresigns that the HL expressway may affect market segments in each province differently.

In Phu Tho, the reduced travel time may see an increase in the domestic travellers to the Hung KingTemple, and a slight increase in business travellersfrom Hanoi. It may also become a more attractivedestination for the international cultural heritageniche market. One of the main implications in theprovision of tourism services will be reduced demandfor overnight stays, as the Hanoi market can now easily visit Phu Tho and return home in a day.

In Yen Bai, due to only a limited range of developed attractions and the strong range of products in nearbySapa and Lao Cai, visitation is not expected to changesignificantly as a result of the HL expressway. In fact,tourism services such as restaurants and hotels

located along the old highway may suffer due to theshift in traffic to the new expressway. There is somepotential however, that the highly reduced traveltimes might see a small increase in business travellersand VFRs from Hanoi to Yen Bai.

In Lao Cai, an almost entirely opposite situation appears to be emerging, with strong increases in visitation already being experienced from the domestic weekends away market from regional LaoCai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, and most notably, Hanoi. Forthe international market, the reduced travel timemight create a new segment of overnight stay travellers, and at the opposite end, a group of visitorswho use the time saved on the new expressway to “gofurther” beyond Sapa to traditionally more remotedestinations such as Ha Giang and Lai Chau.

A potential challenge for Lao Cai however, is that Sapamay become overrun with domestic travellers onweekends creating crowds, litter, noise etc., and as aresult, turn many international travellers off. Expected impacts of these changes on tourism services in the area include an increased demand forlow to mid-range hotels, as well as increased demandfor local restaurants and town-based entertainmentfacilities and services for families. If there is anydownward trend in international visitor arrivals, thenthere may become reduced demand for higher endaccommodation, trekking tours and visits to ethnic minority villages.

With such a wide range of potential changes fortourism and travel in the North it will be important forlocal tourism authorities as well as the business sectorto closely monitor changes in the market such thatthey can seize on new opportunities and effectivelyplan and respond to any emerging threats.


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The new Hanoi-LaoCai expressway: new

opportunities andchallenges for

tourism in the north

B uilding on the analysis of the impacts of thenew Hanoi-Lao Cai (HL) Expressway ontourism in the north, the ESRT programme

has also been working with the three key provinces ofPhu Tho, Yen Bai and Lao Cai to develop a strategy toidentify and promote tourism products to the rapidlyincreasing volume of traffic travelling through the region as a result of the HL expressway with the aimof helping spread the benefits of tourism beyond Sapaand into the nearby regions.

A process of analysis was adopted by the team that involved five key stages: (1) analysing and prioritisingthe products, (2) clustering and linking the products,(3) identifying product gaps, (4) making recommenda-tions to strengthen the products and fill the gaps, and(5) finally mapping the products for marketing.

1) Analysing and prioritising the products

Through a collection of government and industryroundtable meetings, site inspections, and a tour operator workshop, a short list of priority productswere identified in each province for development andmarketing. Selection of the products involved applyingESRT’s Responsible Tourism Product Assessment Criteria, an holistic approach that requires consideration of the strengths of products basedupon four key perspectives: consumers, business,other stakeholders (such as the local community), andfinally the availability of capacity.

Amongst others, the final products that were selectedincluded such sites as the Hung King Temple, XuanSon National Park and the Ha Hoa region in Phu Tho,Mu Cang Chai, Thac Ba Lake and Na Hau Primary Forest in Yen Bai, and Bac Ha and Bat Xat in Lao Cai.With the products of Sapa region already well

developed it was collectively agreed that the focus ofthe product development assessment should insteadbe on the province’s emerging destinations.

2) Clustering and linking the products

By applying geographic mapping to the selected products in the region four key tourism product clusters (or destinations) were identified along the HLexpressway corridor, with each being strategicallyplaced around exits from the HL expressway. Thesefour destinations comprise Phu Tho South, Phu ThoNorth & Yen Bai, Lao Cai East and Lao Cai West.

With the products selected, their commercial viabilitywas tested at a roundtable gathering of tour operators in Hanoi. This was a critical step that sawsome of the strongest products such as Hung Lo ancient village, Xuan Son National Park and Bac Harise to the top, and even a few initially overlookedproducts such as Mu Cang Chai finding their way backonto the table. In addition to examining the strengthsand weaknesses of the products, the tour operatorsidentified a number of key tour routes that felt could


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Spreading the benefits of tourismvia the new Hanoi-Lao Cai highway

National Highway 70

Nat

iona

l Highway 70

Thac BaLake

Hoang LienNational Park

Xuan SonNational Park Noi Bai

International Airport

Ta SuaNature Reserve

Da R iver

Red River

Da River

Natio nal High way 279

N.H 2 79

N.H 4

E

Hanoi - Lao Cai Highway

Nat ional Highw

ay 32

N.H

37

ĐT 313

N.H 3 7

Prov

i nci

al H

ighw

ay 153

Prov

inci

al H

ighw

ay 1

54

12

3

4

5

6

National Highway 2

Nationa

l Highw

ay 2

National Highway 70

P.H 311

PHU THOVIET TRI

CITY

YEN BAICITY

LAO CAICITY

SAPA

THAINGUYEN

TUYENQUANG

HA GIANG

LAO CAILAI

CHAU

YEN BAI

SON LA

HA NOI

Discoverthe Red River region

1 EXIT PHU NINH

2 EXIT CAM KHE

3 EXIT VAN PHU

4 EXIT VAN YEN

5 EXIT BAO HA

6 EXIT XUAN GIAO

The newlynew completed Hanoi-Lao Cai Highway located in northern Vietnam passes by some of Vietnam’s’

Kingss, thet Foundingounding FFaathersthers ofof Vietnam, and some of Vietnam’s’ most revered temples, museums and

and sleepy villages connected by windingi country roads. And in the north you will be met by dramaticterrraced mountains and traditionalal villages clinging to mountain peaks and snuggling in to valley

The corridor passes through three key provinces, Phu Tho, Yen Bai and Lao Cai, which together, comprise some of Vietnam’s most remarkable natural and cultural heritage.

Phu ThoSee some of Vietnam’s most sacred temples, museums and ancient villages, bubbling hot springs, cascading waterfalls and tranquil lagoons.

Yen BaiGet o the beaten track and onto country roads through elds of agriculture, go past sleepy villages and nd an unexpected inland lake so large it contains thousands of islands, islets and caves.

Lao CaiLeap into the great outdoors and experience all that is has to o er in this northern adventure playground crammed full of mountains, trails, markets and traditional ethnic villages.

Three provinces, three experiences

PHU THO SOUTH

PHU THO NORTH& YEN BAI

LAO CAIWEST

LAO CAIEAST

The EU-ESRT projectproudly supportsresponsible tourismin Vietnam


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best link the strongest of the products together forpromotion to specific market segments.

3) Identifying the product gaps

While the strengths of the region for tourism werewidely acknowledged by all, it was important part ofthe process to also objectively identify product gaps inorder to develop a priority road map for to guideproduct development in the future. From the consultations with the provincial governments, industryand site assessments, key product gaps were identifiedin the areas of Scenic rural landscapes, Natural areas,Cities, towns and villages, Infrastructure, Accommodation, and Activities and attractions.

4) Strengthening the products

From the product gap analysis, twelve key recommendations were identified as priorities for theregion:

1. Control urbanisation, commercialisation and / ormodernisation of heritage places

2. Strengthen sustainable visitation to protectedareas to increase value and support for conservation

3. Improve waste management practices in keytourism destinations

4. Manage crowds, congestion and visitor safety inhighly visited destinations

5. Improve directional signage along key touringroutes and in destinations

6. Improve collection and use of marketing statisticsand industry advice to inform tourism planning

7. Improve nature based tourism infrastructure andactivities in destinations

8. Encourage diversification of products in CBT destinations

9. Improve interpretation of cultural and natural heritage

10. Develop lookouts and rest stops along key touringroutes

11. Strengthen management of visitor impacts in keynature based tourism sites

12. Improve homestay standards in key destinations

5) Mapping the products for marketing

As a final contribution to developing tourism withinthe region, ESRT worked in collaboration with thethree provinces to develop an electronic touring mapfor the HL Expressway corridor that highlights the keyattractions and destinations that visitors passingthrough the region can see along the way. The mapsand tour routes are expected to be progressively uploaded onto the provinces’ tourism websites overthe following months for immediate use by consumers.

I TB Berlin 2015 took place from 04-08 March 2015in Berlin. Vietnam National Administration ofTourism (VNAT) in the cooperation with Vietnam

Tourism Association and hotel and travel businessesorganised a stand exhibition and a press conferenceto promote the brand of Vietnam Tourism – TimelessCharm in the European market.

With ESRT support, VNAT successfully participated inITB 2015 with a strong showing of stand visitors coupled with press conference participants. At thepress conference, VNAT Chairman Tuan together withrepresentatives of Vietnam Tourism Association, ESRTand Vietnam Airlines provided the most up to date information of Vietnam products and images with themessage of “Vietnam as the country of heritages”.

It offered a great opportunity to inform the international media and travel trade that Vietnam istaking care of its tourism resources while responsibletourism contributes to the journey of making Vietnama must-to-visit destination in 2015 and beyond. Additionally, the press conference also provided anoverview on the German market to Vietnam; new

products and visitor information. According to theReiseanalyse, German tourists choose Vietnam toThailand as their ideal place to visit cultural offeringsand meet local people.

While ITB provides an entry point and for travel tradecontacts and relationships, finding the best partnersto support VNAT’s strategy and establishing personalised relations require further meetings andcommunications. Dedicated workshops and seminarsarranged by VNAT in cooperation with VITA, PR agencies and Embassies in source markets, whereVNAT and selected business product suppliers, mainlyTour Operators and Vietnam Airlines meet with travelagents and operators in a structured environment areexcellent destination-focused platforms for meetingwith current and potential travel partners.

As Vietnam tourism successfully participated in ITB2015, there was therefore an increase level of realisation of the new brand “Vietnam Timeless Charm”for Tourism of Vietnam in the international tourismtrade market, which creates a foundation for an evengreater success for the next participations to WTM2015 / ITB 2016.


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Vietnam brings its heritages toITB Berlin 2015


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A n ESRT expert team has been visiting theMekong Delta provinces of An Giang, Can Thoand Kien Giang as part of the project’s

initiative on destination management and public-private dialogue. The team met with representativesfrom government and the business sector during athree week stay and suggested a re-think on the waytourism development policy in the Delta is focussed.

They identified as a key challenge the chronically shortlength of stay (just one night in many hotels) that theDelta currently experiences. It is seen as an excursionor add-on destination rather than a leisure destinationin its own right. In order to address this, the businesssector and Government were urged to come togetherto adopt a market-led approach, targeting longer staying visitor segments in the domestic and international markets.

The experts suggested the industry and Governmentshould work more closely together within the Delta region to create tourism hubs of excellence which canoffer unique Mekong Delta experiences. More emphasis was felt needed on improving the quality ofkey aspects of the Delta, such as waterways, day and

overnight cruises, food, Delta homestays and spiritualsites.

Speaking at an industry consultative workshop, theexperts recommended that high quality riverside resorts and lodges, expanded water-based options,better orchard and agri-tourism visits and higher quality homestay are needed to enhance the Mekongproduct. The experts said the Delta needs to be different from other parts of Vietnam: At the momentthe thrust of development is making it just like anywhere else. They suggested Can Tho Airportshould be rebranded as the Mekong Delta International Airport. They also highlighted the needfor specific trainings relevant to the Delta’s product,the need to improve hotel services and to incentivisebetter access to the Delta by air and water, includingfrom Phu Quoc island to the Delta itself. Training wasalso needed to help communities capture opportunities in tourism and to help them start smallbusinesses which serve visitor needs.

Over time the Mekong Delta should aim to become aunique and world famous tourism destination in itsown right, the experts said.

DELTA SHOULD BE DIFFERENT!


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H eld over 4 days from 3-6 April 2015 at theVietnam Exhibition Fair Centre in Hanoi,and with the theme of ‘Viet Nam - The

Land of Heritages’, the Vietnam InternationalTravel Mart (VITM) brought together thousands ofinternational and local trade professionals, mediaand consumers from across Vietnam and the international tourism community.

The ESRT exhibition booth provided industry,media and the general public with informationabout the achievements of the EU-ResponsibleTourism Programme. Besides the exhibitionbooth, ESRT once again has thrown its support behind the VITM and supported with a conferenceon “Cultural Heritage and Responsible Tourism” fromwhich the over 200 tourism professionals receivedgreat inspirations followed with intense discussions.

The conference included presentations by DuongBich Hanh from UNESCO on an Overview of Cultural Heritage in Vietnam, Kai Partale from theESRT on Responsible Tourism, Cultural Heritageand its Interconnectedness followed by presenta-tions on Existing Offerings and Challenges byNguyen Dac Thuy, Vice Director, DCST of Phu ThoProvince and finally Cultural Heritage - Asset forProduct Development from the Market Perspectiveby Tran Quang Hao, Director, Hue Tourist.

The important link between society and cultural heritage is clearly displayed in cultural heritagetourism, a form of tourism connected with the movement of people to satisfy cultural motivations.Such tourists engage in activities to historical sitesand monuments, take tours based around the artsand ethnic groups, or simply seek to immersethemselves in the way of life of a local people andenjoy the local identity and character.

What Vietnam offers culture motivated visitors is arich and varied culture, both historical and contemporary, vibrant cities, and unique rural communities populated by 54 different types ofethnic groups. At the pinnacle of Vietnam’s cultural tourism offerings are seven UNESCO classified World Intangible Cultural Heritages andfive World Cultural Heritage Sites, including ThangLong Citadel, Citadel of the Ho Dynasty, Hue’sMonument Complex, Hoi An Ancient Town, andthe My Son Sanctuary are testament to Vietnam’sstrong cultural offerings.

Kai Partale stated, “the cultural heritage attractionsplay an important role in tourism, from the globalhighlights of world culture to attractions that underpin local identities. Vietnam has the foundationto become a market leader in cultural tourism withinAsia which is attested to in countless visitor surveyswhich consistently highlight the Vietnamese cultureas a key motivation for international travellers.“ Hefurther recommended several strategies to fosterthe cultural product line, such as

• Creating cultural product highlights and marketing outstanding cultural events

• Cultural offer combinations by linking culturalevents with culinary delights, wellness etc.

• Developing thematic cultural routes and improving the availability of information at cultural attractions

• Strengthening the emotionalisation of theproduct by addressing trends in the design ofcultural activities

• Creating “living history”, development of time-travel experiences, and story- / history-telling or edutainment

VITM 2015 - Debatingon Cultural Heritage in the light of Responsible Tourism

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However, while culture is identified as one of the nation’s core tourism products within the nationaltourism strategy, under a backdrop of masstourism, Vietnam faces considerable challenges inensuring its cultural heritage is effectively planedand managed to ensure its continued value andworth to the local people and visitors alike.

To help tackle this problem, ESRT is targeting threekey areas to foster greater responsibility in cultural heritage tourism planning and management by a) developing and promoting responsible tourism policies, b) assessing and revising cultural heritage site occupational standards, and c) finally raising the capacity of cultural heritage site managers with tools and

strategies to implement more sustainable approaches in cultural heritage site management.

A s a part of its nation-wide multi-stakeholderresponsible tourism capacity building programme, ESRT is delivering a multi-day

seminar to key stakeholders in Ninh Binh, Phu Tho,Hue and Quang Nam entitled “Responsible tourism development and conservation in cultural heritage sites”which provides a basic overview of theoretical underpinnings and benefits of adopting a responsibletourism approach in cultural heritage site management and introduces participants to specifictools and strategies they can use to achieve greatersustainability.

Ms Bui Thanh Thuy (PhD) and Ms Tang Thi DuyenHong delivered the training, which was divided intothree parts. The first part introduced all basic knowledge about tourism in general and providedtrainees with a chance to deeply understand aboutthe positive and negative impacts of tourism to

cultural heritages. The second one based on the results of the above mentioned discussion and howresponsible tourism could be used to sustain and conserve cultural heritages. Thirdly, trainees weretrained in methodologies to responsibly manage theircultural heritage property including (i) Cultural heritage site planning for sustainability, (ii) Responsibleinterpretation and communication of cultural heritagevalues, (iii) Cultural heritage conservation and tourismimpact management and, (iv) Responsible culturalheritage product development.

Active learning methodologies have been applied toengage the participants and encourage them to sharemore experiences and opinions about their work andhow to apply the newly received knowledge to theirwork. It is hoped that ESRT’s efforts will contribute tothe national strategy on tourism in conserving culturalheritage sites.

Building capacity at cultural heritage sites in

Responsible Tourism

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I nternational tourism today is fiercely competitive making the role of tourism master planning increasingly critical to long

term success. To equip themselves with international best practice, researchers andplanners from Vietnam’s Institute for TourismDevelopment and Research (ITDR) joined a seminar series convened by ESRT on interna-tional methodology in tourism master planningin May/June in Hanoi.

According to Prof. Dr. Martin Fontanari, ESRT’s international tourism development expert andleader of the tourism master planning seminars,“In Vietnam, strategic thinking and acting in designing a tourism master plan are quite similar tointernational best practice, particularly when itcomes to the analysis and mapping components,so a really good starting point exists.”

“Where the international approach to tourism master planning is different to that being used inVietnam however, is in the application of strategicthinking and market-orientation, with the differences being best described with Vietnamadopting a ‘systematic approach’, and internationalbest practice adopting a ‘systemic approach’,” saysFontanari.

The so-called ‘systemic approach’ to international best practice in tourism masterplanning is touted as providing a more structuralframework for managing the process of masterplanning in a disciplined and sustainable way. “In a systemic approach the development oftourism structures, themes, site-related projectsand products are based upon strategic thinkinggrounded in innovation, differentiation, competi-tiveness and future-orientation,” says Fontanari.

“A second marked difference in the two approachesto tourism planning is that within the internationalsphere there is stronger co-operation between

relevant stakeholders and actors in tourism, whichtherefore necessitates greater use of moderationtechniques in the systemic approach.”

At the seminar, Vietnam’s ITDR were presentedwith cases and methods used in internationaltourism master planning which highlighted thedifferent focuses in tourism product development and investment projects.

To help put the theory into practice, ESRT then organised a fact-finding mission to the peninsulaof Son Tra and Ba Na Hills in Da Nang. Comprisingtwelve ITDR-professionals, representatives ofthe local tourism authorities, and ESRT’s international expert, participants were used atemplate to evaluate the landscape to identifyand assess potential locations for tourism development. The template provides a usefulchecklist that can be used to critically evaluatesight experiences, ecological and cultural features, as well possible environmental impacts. From the checklist, tourism-related infrastructure-ideas and projects may then bedeveloped. The findings of tourism potentialsfor the peninsular were then presented back atan internal workshop with ITDR, as well as a follow-up workshop on product developmentwith stakeholders in Da Nang.

The learning of Vietnam’s tourism researchersand planners in tourism master planning bestpractice was aptly wrapped up on June 10th at afinal symposium in Hanoi, where severalspeeches on modern tourism master planningwere given. With the title “Towards a new era inTourism Master Planning” more than 50 experts reflected on the international and Vietnamese way of master planning with thebenefits made clear for adopting new directionsin tourism master planning for both local and regional stakeholders as well as national and international investors.

Shifting tourism planning in Vietnam from a systematic to a systemic approach


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T he formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the implementation ofthe ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement

on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) has implications forVietnam tourism qualifications, as Vietnam aligns itself with ASEAN and paves the way for integrationand labour mobility within the AEC.

National tourism qualifications based on the VietnamTourism Occupational Standards (VTOS) developed bythe ESRT on behalf of VNAT and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) will be offeredthrough MOLISA as the new Employment Law comesinto being in 2015. VTOS is currently being submittedby MCST to MOLISA for adoption as the tourism national standards for Vietnam. The first two standards - front office and housekeeping are awaiting approval and the remaining standards arealso in the pipeline. This will provide Vietnam with aninternationally benchmarked set of standards equivalent to the ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals (ACCSTP).

ESRT has been working with Vietnam Tourism Certification Board (VTCB) to develop competence-based assessment tools and methods for VTOS whichwill align with ASEAN requirements. The developed assessment framework is setting out the key principles for an internationally recognised assessment system using work-based assessment andusing the Recognition of Prior Learning for experienced tourism and hospitality professionals.Further, a methodology to convert standards into curriculum was developed to assist colleges in implementing the new standards.

In addition, ESRT has worked closely with the Board ofVTCB to prepare a new Charter in order to reconstitute the VTCB to become the Vietnam TourismProfessional Board (VTPB) to meet Vietnam’s commitments to the ASEAN Secretariat to establish aNational Tourism Professional Board (NTPB). The VTPBwill be responsible for monitoring the implementationand upgrading of the VTOS and providing services tothe industry - especially regarding recognition of qualifications of tourism professionals who wish toapply for work in the AEC. A sustainable businessmodel for the new VTPB was also developed to enablethe Professional Board to be self-sustaining from itsprofessional developmental activities within a periodyears.

At a workshop organized by the International LabourOrganization in June 2015 to support the General Department of Vocational Training of MOLISA for theestablishment of Sector Skills Councils for Tourism Industry, Tran Thi Mai and Kai Partale presented thetourism case and the support of ESRT to turn VTCBinto the VTPB under the ASEAN MRA-TP.

Tourism qualifications& impacts of ASEAN

economic community

E vents are playing a significant role in a tourismdestination’s portfolio. Since Vietnam is extremely rich in cultural heritage and

tradition, especially festivals are an integrated andfixed part of the provinces’ tourism life cycles.

The annual event calendar of the country offers abroad selection of events. Its topics, among many others are related to religion, ethnic minorities, literature and sport. In order to enhance the customerexperience of these events on the one hand and tocreate positive economic, social and environmentalimpacts of these events, officials from all over thecountry were invited to attend a five-days event management in tourism training course.

In total, more than 70 officials from Vietnam’sprovinces attended the course, which was held in

Thanh Hoa and Phu Quoc island. The course aimed tosupport the trainees in understanding the essentialquestions, which should be asked and answered asthe basis for any event, and to understand the planning, budgeting, implementation and evaluationprocesses throughout the event life cycle.

The participants jointly practiced a critical reflectionon global good- and bad-practices in event management. All participants (re-)designed an eventof their respective province during practical projectsessions to assure that the training creates a directpositive impact on their day-to-day job.

As a positive side effect of these trainings, the networkamong the participants was strengthened so that infuture experiences, challenges and solutions can be exchanged on a peer-to-peer level.

T he European Year for Development 2015(EYD2015) is a year of stories! It is the first everEuropean Year to deal with the European

Union's external action and Europe’s role in the world.For development organisations all over Europe it is anunparalleled opportunity to showcase Europe's commitment to eradicating poverty worldwide and toinspire more Europeans to get engaged and involvedin development.

The themes addressed throughout the EYD2015 are illustrated by real stories of beneficiaries and peopleworking in development and the first EYD weekly storyin June, linked to Sustainable Green Growth, DecentJobs and Businesses is about the EU financed ESRTprogramme in Vietnam.

ESRT supported Vietnam tourism with the develop-ment of a strategic tourism marketing plan and abranding strategy, which considers the social and

environmental impacts of tourismalongside growth. “[…]to date, we have madegreat progress. With thehelp of the EU Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism programme we now have aTourism Marketing Strategy that still allows for growth,but also focuses on developing quality products that arebased on the strengths of Vietnam’s destinations, and notonly considers economic benefits, but also social and environmental impacts,” stated Mr Le Tuan Anh,Deputy Director of Tourism Marketing Department,Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

For more information, please visit thehttps://europa.eu/eyd2015/en and http://eyd2015.esrt.vn


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Vietnam tourism selected for thefirst EYD2015 weekly story in June

Sustainable event management capacitybuilding in Thanh Hoa& Phu Quoc

Documents

Responsible Tourism ContestResponsible Tourism Contest … · 2015-07-06 · A total of 32,572 contestants from 1,726 high schools of 38 provinces nationwide were impressive indicators