Ecotourism in Vietnam: Potential and Reality

Tourism in Vietnam creates a lot of income and it is a boost for the local economy. On the other hand, tourism is a problem for the environment, particularly the biodiversity of nature.

In recent years Vietnam is promoting ecotourism because it is both sustainable and have economics benefits. The government of Vietnam is learning about infrastructures with less impact and encourages tourists to keep in safe the local culture and environment.

A big attraction of ecotourism in Vietnam is the Coastal reef that has a particular natural ecosystem with thousands of protected species and it is a reason to promote and improve this specific ecosystem.

Vietnam, environmental impact

Halong Bay, Sapa and Hanoi are typical examples of the Vietnamese policies about tourism.

Tourism is an added value of the Vietnamese economy, it creates a lot of jobs and it supports the local families. It is estimated that the 10% of the success of the economic policies comes from the tourism sector.


The other face of the medal concerns the environmental problems of this policy.
The Halong Bay welcomes a number of visitors too high to be sustainable for the local ecosystem and the environmental should be damaged.

The heritage area is 1500 sq. km. and there are 2,000 mile islands at present. This large area might not be visited no more if there will be restriction concerning the introduction of people in this area.

In particular, these are the main problems about the environment in Vietnam: greenhouse gases, deforestation, desertification, acid rains, water pollution and also pollution cause by transport services.


Acid rains contain levels of sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid rains are damaging and potentially deadly to the earth's fragile ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH scale.
People who live in Hanoi are scared because the 30% of the rain are acid and this percentage grow continually. In some areas in Vietnam, this percentage is more than 50%.


In Hanoi there is another important problem: pollution. Every day, Hanoi has concentration of pollution, noises and aromas caused by car or by public transports. These type of transportation creates also lots of traffic and congestion. Instead of only few people want to use bicycles to go around the city or for admire the beautiful landscape.

This enormous natural heritage is decreasing caused by the deforestation and the desertification.
The first takes destruction of vast areas of forest without planting new growth, for example the Bay of Halong that is an area where there are a lot of rains and then, forests, could contain the waters and avoid problems of floods.
The second creates lots of desert conditions in arid or semi-arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive lands, or climate change.

SEX TOURISM

“Sex tourism” is defined as travel planned specifically for the purpose of sex, generally to a country where prostitution is legal. 

The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, defines sex tourism as "trips organized from within the tourism sector, or from outside this sector but using its structures and networks, with the primary purpose of effecting a commercial sexual relationship by the tourist with residents at the destination".

This type of tourism has brought social and cultural damage in the countries of origin and destination, because it exploits differences related to sex, age, social and economic status of the populations that live in these countries.

Type of sex tourism:

1) sex tourism “promoted” by those countries in which prostitution is legal.

2) sex tourism taking place in states where prostitution is not regulated by a specific law, but by an illegal system.

Over the last few years, sex tourism has developed due to some reasons: the increasing poverty, hunger, unemployment, and the increase in mass tourism facilitated by the growing number of low-cost flight.

Sex tourism has as protagonists people aged between 20 and 40 years, whereas the majority of victims are young girls between 13 and 17 years of age.

Italy is one of the European countries with the most advanced regulations on child sexual abuse and exploitation. Many laws have been introduced to protect children who are particularly exposed to violence and sexual exploitation. Therefore, Italy has established heavy penalties for people who violate children's right to development.

Another important regulatory document on the topic is the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, adopted by the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization. The Global Code aims to promote responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism; protect children against all forms of sexual exploitation, in compliance with international law.

the message

World Tourism Day
Official Message
by UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai

Mass Tourism

“We have only one planet, so let’s #DoGood”

Hey! What do you know about mass tourism? Here we are going to explain the mean of mass tourism and his three impacts on economy, on the society and on environment with the positive and negative aspects in these sectors.
Besides, we’ re going to discuss some examples of mass tourism in Italy with the principal characteristic of these places like holiday destination, emphasizing the importance of ecotourism for the creation of new ‘green zones’ and a good behavior of tourists.

Mass tourism is a form of tourism, developed after the Second World War.
It consists in numerous touristic movements, conditioned by mass media, like: internet, television, newspapers, radio and so on…
This type of tourism is founded on the connection between tourism and communication; since nineteenth century, a lot of young and rich people travel for the grand tour, it was intended to make young aristocratic more educated about the history and art of Europe.

Mass tourism has three different impacts: on economy, on the society, and on environment; with positive and negative effects in each of these sectors.

On economy: the positive effects are that it brings money into local economy so people consume more, and more jobs for local people are available, like for example receptionists, hostesses and touristic guides.
Mass tourism also make an increase to income of industries that supply tourism: like hotel industry, travel agents and local bureaus.
The negative effect is that a lot of the profit made from tourism is kept by the large travel companies rather than going to the local economy.

On the society, the positive effects are for example that lot of jobs means young people are more likely to stay in the area.
It improves roads infrastructure and communications which are also a benefit for local people, infrastructure are very important for the development of tourism in a city or a country.
Income from tourism can be reinvested in local community projects, like for example the building of new infrastructure, new “green zone” to supply the ecotourism, or the building of new structure to accommodate more tourists.
The negative effects are that tourism jobs are often badly paid and are seasonal: like entertainers and the staff of a cruise ship.
Traffic congestion caused by tourists can create pollution, and the bad behavior of some tourists can offend local people.

The positive aspect on the environment, is that mass tourism creates income that can be reinvested in protecting the environment (”green zones”).
The negative aspects are that the transport of people over long distances creates greenhouse gases which are the main causes of global warming.
Mass tourism can increase pollution and litter: one of the main example are the Italian beaches which are often covered by rubbish. The expansion of mass tourism can also lead to the destruction of natural habitats, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

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"UNSUSTAINABLE" TOURISM: a phanomenon not to underestimate

“Unsustainable” tourism: 

a plague affecting the tourism field for many decades, which cause lot of problems, such as damages to the environment, traditions and local cultures. Just a few care about tourism but all are paying and will continue to suffer the consequences of some incorrect behavior.

What does “unsustainable” tourism means?

“Un-Sustainable” tourism can be defined as “tourism that has no respects for local people, cultural heritage and the environment”.

Ok, but what sort of damages can it cause?

Tourism can cause lot of damages, such as environmental problems like pollution, caused by fuel consumption, noise, congestion and continual expansion of transport terminals and car parks, as well as buildings that may be inappropriate and intrusive, cultural conflicts created by different cultural backgrounds, economic dependence from the large multinational companies, which dominate the tourist economy to the detriment of the local economy. Sometimes the distinctive character and atmosphere of a place may be lost, in addition people can lose their traditional way of life and even a sense of their own identity.

How did we arrive to this problem?

Pay Attention, Please!!!

Responsible Tourism

First step for a better world

Responsible Tourism has gathered momentum over the last 10 years and there are a large number of organisations around the world which use the language of Responsible Tourism.

The ICRT has a network of organisations around the world all dedicated to furthering the aspirations of the Cape Town Declaration.

we accept that responsible and sustainable tourism will be obtained in different ways in different places.

The Cape Town Declaration remember the world’s diversity: “Appreciating the diversity of world’s cultures, habitats and species and the wealth of cultural and natural heritage, as the very reason of tourism,

Definition of Responsible Tourism

Responsible tourism complies with the principles of social and economic justice and exerts full respect towards the environment and its cultures. It recognises the centrality of the local host community and its right to act as a protagonist in developing a sustainable and responsible tourism. Responsible tourism actuates to foster a positive interaction between the tourist industry, the local communities and the travellers.

Where can we apply Responsible Tourism?

“GREEN REMAINS OF THE EARTH”

The “green side” of America, Canada, gets the world’s largest and most credible sustainable tourism certification program.

It is based on:

• The preservation of Canada’s clean, safe and natural environment
• The promotion of a green choice of sustainable tourism
• Minimizing the impact of uncontrolled tourism

Why choosing Canada as a first tourist destination?

At first, its weather conditions, stunning landscape scenery and “smart cities” will drown you into a quiet and carefree atmosphere. Five Canadian tourists destinations were ranked in the Top 10 places in a National Geographic environmental stewardship survey of favorite places to visit, these destinations represent Canada’s behaviour to sustainable tourism and are:




1) The Cape Breton Highlands of Nova Scotia

The headlands and cliffs offer dramatic ocean views, it is also a hiker’s paradise, its 25 hiking trails provide a different way to move around and with the famous Cabot Trail (named in this way because of John Cabot, the famous explorer), you have the opportunity to pull safely off the road to observe wildlife or learn about a special aspect of the land.

2) Canadian Rocky Mountains

UNESCO declared it as a World Heritage Site because of their unspoiled beauty and exceptional geological features. The park is also famous for its wildlife and if you are looking for excitement, explore one of the many hiking trails or wander the streets of Banff or Jasper villager, take a river kayaking or whitewater rafting adventure or take a turn water skiing on Switzer Lake. Learn to ice skate, or try yourselves to fishing during the winter.

3) Quebec

UNESCO defines it as awesome, culturally vibrant and excellent, it is also a sustainable city that offers visitor the best of both French civilization and the modern world. Quebec City Convention Centre invests time, money and human resources in its eco-friendly operations as well as an eco-friendly program to encourage citizen to a sustainable behavior.


4) The Inside Passage of British Columbia

The Inside Passage of Alaska and British Columbia offers visitors a coastal scenery simply breathtaking into the narrow maze of channels. A wide range of wildlife lives there and you can see them also with a hydroplane tour and inside the Passage by boat. The National Geographic Society, has recognized Canada's contribution to preserving tourist destinations and protecting the geographic character of this rich country.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Sustainable tourism is a new form of tourism designed to meet the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future making a low impact on the environment, economy and local culture.

Sustainable tourism plays an important role in conserving biodiversity. It enables local people to protect their natural and cultural resources and profit from them at the same time. This form of tourism attempts to minimize its impact on the environment and local culture so that it will be available for future generations, while contributing to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems. It provides local communities with a positive economic incentive for protecting wild habitats: for example preserving an area of natural forest can generate more income from tourism that cutting the trees down for timber.

Guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. This type of tourism changes quickly and so it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary.

Eco Tour ism

Hallo together!!

This blog was created to speak about tourism, offering an overview of all the aspects about this topic.

Tourism has "pro & contro" and ours articles/essays're paying particular attention on:

- sustainable tourism & the case of Canada

- responsible tourism  

- un-sustainable tourism & the case of Vietnam

- the impact of mass tourism 

- sex tourism 

We're looking for information in different websites adding to our knowledges in this field.

We hope you to have a good reading!!!