A workshop was held in the Mekong Delta province of Can Tho on July 1
to seek ways to promote the application of the Green Lotus label in
tourist accommodations in Vietnam with the ultimate goal of sustainable
tourism development.
The Green Lotus label was
initiated by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and
approved by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
It is granted to tourist accommodations meeting environmental and
sustainable development criteria helping to preserve heritages and
develop the local economy, culture and society. The number of green
lotuses for a particular establishment, from one to five, indicates each
accommodation’s level of effort towards environmental protection and
sustainable development.
VNAT General Director
Nguyen Van Tuan underlined the limited number of accommodations
registering for and certified with the Green Lotus label. Only 33 hotels
nationwide have received the certification, mostly in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vung Tau city, Binh Thuan province, Khanh Hoa province, Da Nang city,
Quang Nam province, Hue city, Hanoi and Bac Ninh province.
No facilities in the Mekong Delta have received the label, he stressed.
Data from the VNAT show that tourist accommodations in the region
account for 8 percent of the facilities and 9 percent of the rooms in
Vietnam. They concentrate in Can Tho city and the provinces of Kien
Giang, Long An, An Giang, Tien Giang and Hau Giang.
Participants at the workshop said the recent proliferation of tourist
accommodations in the Mekong Delta and in Vietnam as a whole have caused
negative phenomena such as pollution, undermining tourism profitability
and potentially damaging the national image.
They
said relevant agencies should communicate to raise tourist facilities’
understanding of sustainable development and encourage them to adjust
their operations and register for the Green Lotus label. Facility
managers should be aware that the label will provide them with an
advantage to build efficient marketing strategies.
The application of the Green Lotus label not only helps accommodations
develop sustainably but also agrees with Vietnam’s tourism development
orientations and meets economic integration demand, they noted.-VNA