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373847
Wed, 07/08/2015 - 12:17
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Vietnam's Mekong Delta region reviews green tourism

Hanoi, July 8 (VNA)- Provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region are mulling over resources and cooperation mechanisms to make the most of natural conditions for green tourism development. At the Green Tourism Week held last week in Can Tho city, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Southwest Steering Committee Vu Van Ninh asked regional provinces to seek suitable solutions to tap their natural potential. The provinces were urged to boost links and create a chain of tourist destinations to meet growing demand and increasingly diverse tastes. The Deputy PM hinted that localities could develop high quality and highly competitive tourist products with particular brand identities such as ecological tourism, island tourism, garden and river tourism and conference and meeting tourism. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien said the Mekong Delta’s tourism sector has developed strongly in recent years with a two-digit annual growth. In 2014, the region welcomed 22.4 million tourists, 1.83 million of which were international visitors, generating 6.36 trillion VND (289.8 million USD) in revenue and 2.2 million jobs for local people. The region, however, is facing issues related to sustainable development, environmental pollution, depleting resources and impacts from climate change, according to the Deputy Minister. He called for a more sustainable approach to tourism development and links among localities. Nguyen Van Tuan, Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said the coordination among localities in the region to develop green tourism should focus on developing products and brands unique to the region. Tuan urged localities to focus on training a quality tourism workforce with a focus on professional skills. A project on developing green tourism products unique to the region will be launched soon with an emphasis on formulating mechanisms and policies for coordination and links, seeking financial resources for investment and developing human resources. A steering committee and an office for coordinating tourism development in the region will be formed as will a fund for Mekong Delta tourism development.-VNA

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