Vietnam: What is sustainable tourism development? What are the roles of local communities in tourism development?
What is tourism? What is sustainable tourism development in Vietnam?
Pursuant to Clause 1, Article 3 of the 2017 Law on Tourism, tourism is defined as follows:
Tourism means activities in connection with trips taken by people outside their usual environment for not more than 12 consecutive months for sightseeing, leisure, recreation, study, and exploration and other legal purposes.
Pursuant to Clause 14, Article 3 of the 2017 Law on Tourism, the definition of sustainable tourism development is as follows:
Sustainable tourism development means the tourism development that meets the socio-economic and environmental requirements, defending the interests of the participants in tourism activities without having a negative effect on the ability to meet tourism needs in the future.
What are the rules for tourism development in Vietnam?
Pursuant to Article 4 of the 2017 Law on Tourism, the rules for tourism development are as follows:
- Develop targeted and sustainable tourism in line with strategies, master plans and plans
- Develop tourism together with preservation and upholding of national cultural identity values, natural resources, exploitation of advantages of each area and promotion of regional clusters.
- Ensure national sovereignty, national defense and security, social order and security, expand external relations and international integration, and promote the images of Vietnam and its people.
- Protect national and community interests, lawful rights and interests of tourists, and organizations and individuals doing tourism business.
- Develop both domestic and international tourism; respect and fairly treat tourists.
What are the policies issued by the State to develop tourism in Vietnam?
Pursuant to Article 5 of the 2017 Law on Tourism, the State shall develop tourism through the following policies:
- The State shall introduce policies to mobilize sources for tourism development to ensure tourism is a national spearhead industry.
- Organizations and individuals doing tourism business shall be entitled to the highest level of investment incentive and assistance when the State issues and adopts policies on investment incentive and assistance.
- The State shall give priority to provision of funding for the following activities:
+ Inspection, assessment, preservation, enhancement and development tourism resources;
+ Formulation of master plans for tourism development;
+ Tourism promotion, development of national and local tourism trademarks;
+ Construction of infrastructure in service of tourism development.
- The State shall apply assistance policies to the following activities:
+ Investment in high-quality tourism infrastructure and services;
+ Research into and orientation towards the development of tourism products;
+ Provision of training in tourism;
+ Investment in new tourism products that have positive impacts on the environment and increase the participation of local communities; investment in sea and island tourism, eco-tourism, community-based tourism, cultural tourism and other typical tourism products;
+ Application of modern science and technology to the management and development of tourism;
+ Development of tourism in areas with tourism potential; use of local human resources;
+ Investment in establishment of large-scale tourism service complexes; duty-free shops and shopping centers in service of tourists.
- The State shall introduce policies to enable tourists to travel, stay, enter, exit, transit and follow customs procedures, facilitate value added tax refund, and protect other lawful rights and interests of tourists.
What are the regulations on participation of local communities in tourism development in Vietnam?
Pursuant to Article 6 of the 2017 Law on Tourism on the participation of local communities in tourism development as follows:
- Local communities may participate in and enjoy lawful benefits from tourism activities; take responsibility for preserving tourism resources and local cultural identity; and maintaining security, social order and security and environmental protection.
- Local communities shall be enabled to invest in tourism, restoration and promotion of various traditional cultures, folklore arts, crafts, and production of local goods in service of tourists, contributing to improvement of material and spiritual life of locals.
Accordingly, in addition to lawful benefits from tourism activities, the local communities have roles in tourism development as follows:
- Preserving tourism resources and local cultural identity
- Maintaining security, social order and security and environmental protection.
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