Co-operating to develop sustainable tourism in My Son sanctuary

On Mar. 8th, a signing ceremony on “developing sustainable tourism in My Son Sanctuary” between Italy and Viet Nam and a seminar on “integrating culture and tourism for sustainable development- Sharing experiences from Quang Nam province’s model” was organized in Ha Noi.

Since 2002, the tripartite project between UNESCO, Italy and Vietnam on archaeological study and restoration of the towers G3, G5 and G1 belonging the population of group G of the My Son’s heritage and training experts to apply international standards in archaeological restoration has completed successfully. In addition, the project has also successfully studied materials which was used for construction of ancient Champa towers..

The project “developing sustainable tourism in My Son Sanctuary” sponsored by the Italian Government will be implemented in 2012-2013 by the UNESCO and the Quang Nam People’s Committee to restore tower group G (gate tower G2, the walls) as well as to upgrade the interpreting system of heritage site. The project is hoped to contribute to sustainable development of My Son Sanctuary and local community.

After the signing ceremony, the seminar on “integrating culture and tourism for sustainable development- Sharing experiences from Quang Nam province’s model” introduced successful experiences in developing strategy of “Integrating culture and tourism towards sustainable development” aiming to develop tourism and heritage conservation based on community.

At the seminar, participants of Quang Nam’s province also shared experience about the integration of culture and tourism towards sustainable development which has been supported by the UNESCO since 2009 in order to develop sustainable tourism and preserve cultural values and heritage.

Translated by  Thanh Pham

Da Nang’s traditional festival draws thousands of visitors

VietNamNet Bridge – Thousands of Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns, followers and tourists participated in the Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) festival in the central city of Da Nang from March 9-11 to offer prayers of peace for the nation.

The festival, one of the 15 largest festive events in the country, is held annually at the Quan The Am pagoda in the Ngu Hanh Son tourist site in the central city of Da Nang . It is held from the 17 th to the 19 th of the second lunar month.

A wide range of Buddhist activities was held, including a ritual to pray for peace for the country and prosperity, good health and happiness for people.

More than 30 paintings and sculpture works dealing with Buddhist topics were displayed.

A delegation of monks from the Namgyal-Dharamsala monastery of India participated in the festival.

The Quan The Am festival was first held in 1960. It was recognised as a national festival in 2000.

Tramthog Rinpoche, abbot of the Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, India, preached the history of Vajrapani to nearly 500 Buddhists during the first day of the festival.

"It's the first time I've been in Vietnam, receiving a warm welcome from the local people and organizing committee. I'm honored to participate in the biggest cultural event of the year in Da Nang City," the abbot told followers.

"I want to introduce the history of Vajrapani, its philosophy and religious significance on the occasion of the annual (Avalokitecvara) Boddhisattva Festival," he said.

 VNA/Dan tri

Tourism market shows positive signs

Vietnam welcomed about 681,850 foreign visitors in February, up 8.2 per cent compared to January, bringing the total number of international tourists in the first two months to more than 1.31 million, a year-on-year increase of 27.1 per cent.

With such impressive results, the tourism sector has greatly contributed to the national economy, despite current difficulties.

According to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Vietnam expects to receive 6.5 million foreign tourists in 2012, up 10.17 per cent over the previous year, earning a total revenue of VND145 trillion.

Economists say the global tourism industry will face many difficulties in 2012, and the local tourism sector is no exception. However, VNAT General Director Nguyen Van Tuan affirms that Vietnam tourism will enjoy fruitful development as more and more tourists add Vietnam to their must-see list.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forecasts that the number of international tourists will reach 1 billion by the end of this year, with total revenue surpassing US$1,000 billion. There is a growing trend to visit Asian countries, especially China and its surrounding countries.

Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay has been voted one of the World’s Seven New Natural Wonders. Tuan says this will open up huge opportunity to boost the country’s tourism development. While many countries are experiencing political instability and natural disasters, Vietnam is emerging as an attractive and safe destination, he adds.

Recent VNAT statistics show that air travellers to Vietnam in the first two months of this year accounted for 87 per cent of all arrivals and rose 31 per cent compared to 2011. Sea arrivals increased by 42 per cent and arrivals by road, 17 per cent.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh says that to realize the set target of attracting 6.5 million foreign visitors, the tourism sector should focus on implementing its development strategy till 2020 with vision to 2030, providing opinions on amendments and supplements to the Law on Tourism, as well as offering more incentive policies to attract more investment.

State management work should be intensified from central to grassroots levels, and links strengthened among different regions in the country, he suggests.

The Minister also emphasizes the need to do market research, increase the quality of tourism products and services, and develop the trademarks of famous local destinations, with a focus on sea and island, cultural, ecological and heritage sites.

He proposes two immediate tasks: the establishment of two tourism promotion offices in Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK), and the implementation of tourism promotion campaigns introducing the new logo and slogan.

At present, the tourism sector is cooperating with functional agencies and localities to develop key tourism areas and diversify tourism products and services, closely watching eight major markets, namely China, Japan, the RoK, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, France and Russia.

VOV