VNAT organizes APEC virtual stakeholder dialogue

(TITC) – In order to share experiences in developing community-based tourism among APEC economies, principles and solutions for development, on 23rd November 2022, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) organized “APEC virtual stakeholder dialogue”.

Opening of the dialogue, Mr. Nguyen Le Phuc – VNAT’s Vice Chairman said that the COVID-19 pandemic has stalled the tourism industry for more than two years. The problem posed for destinations, tourism businesses and individuals, managers, etc., must improve the quality to ensure safety and satisfy the tourists’ requirements.

According to UNWTO, tourism directly contributes to the implementation of 3 out of 17 sustainable development goals. The tourism sector uses a lot of labor, especially female workers. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) make up the majority of the tourism industry, especially in rural areas. Many rural regions have rich of natural resources and special cultural identities, but tourism enterprises here still face difficulty in connecting stakeholders, attracting tourists and promoting their tourism products.

Vietnam is leading the implementation of the APEC tourism cooperation project “Increasing the Prospect of Tourist Business Connectivity by Applying Information Technology to Create and Promote MSMEs Network on Community-based Tourism (CBT) in the Rural Areas of APEC Economies” which began in April 2022.

In, the beneficiaries of the project include the owners of motels that provide rooms for guests, households and restaurants that provide food services to guests, individuals as guides, narrators, tour guides, transportation service providers, and cultural centers in the community with art products to serve customers…

The project’s output is a satellite website of the APEC website to introduce information and connect tourism communities in rural areas, thereby forming a network of CBT in the APEC region.

Based on the advantage of cultural diversity and attractive tourism resources, VNAT’s Vice Chairman believes that 21 APEC economies will recover strongly post-pandemic, affirming their position as attractive destinations to international tourists.

At the dialogue, Dr. Le Thi Thu Phuong from the National Academy of Public Administration informed that there are over 300 CBT attractions nationwide, especially in the Northern mountainous areas and the Central coast. There are more than 5,000 homestays with a capacity of nearly 100,000 guests. Community tourism products are pretty diverse, with many fascinating experiences about the natural landscape of the countryside and local traditional culture. But CBT development in Vietnam still face difficulty related to the linkage, finance resources, clear policy…

Prof Jutamas Jan Wisansing (Perfect Link Consulting Group) shared that CBT is considered as an inclusive management approach, not a form of tourism. CBT could be applied to all forms of tourism in rural areas: creative tourism, sport tourism, health & wellness tourism, gastronomy tourism, shopping tourism, etc… Some good CBT cases in Vietnam are Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark (Ha Giang Province), Sa Pa (Lao Cai Province) and Co Phat Village (Con Cuong District, Nghe An Province), etc.

Previously, on November 22, APEC experts had guide to update the data of the APEC community-based tourism website as well as using photos and storytelling to promote tourism.’

Tourism Information Technology Center