Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese tourism sector needs to get on the environ🍷mentally-friendly bandwagon or risks losing its competitive edge over regional peers, accord𝓰ing to Director of the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness Strategy Dr Vo Tri Thanh.

Studies have shown enterprises perform better and have a better brand image by adhering to sustainability and social responsibility, he told the Vietnam News Agency. He said shaping up a “green mind” and promoting “green actions” will help the non-smoke industry to go sustainable. According to Thanh, raising public awareness of the process to advance sustainable practices in the tourism ecosystem that includes businesses, tourists and local residents is the biggest challenge. Green transition may also require significant initial investment in technologies and skills, and relevant policies. In the long run, however, the transition will boost the competitiveness of travel firms and sustainable development, he stressed.

Vietnam’s target to firm up its net-zero goal by 2050 has been integrated into various sector masterplans. But there is a long way to go to make the commitments come to life, he said. The development of circular economy is an example, where many projects have to be built but no pilot programmes with specific criteria, support and incentives are in place. Although Vietnam is working to go green, the country should be more creative and aggressive to accelerate the transition, he stated.

Meanwhile, the Director of Tourism Development Research Institute under the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, Dr Nguyen Anh Tuan held that green transformation must entail respect for natural resources, and protection of the environment. It must also adhere to the application of measures using clean energy, resource-saving solutions – especially wastewater treatment systems to ensure no discharge into the environment, and building safe ecological destinations. In addition, businesses need to apply technological measures in the production of environmentally friendly products and services that meet the needs of tourists. The implementation of green tourism within the Vietnamese business community is still limited since many businesses have insufficient and incorrect understanding of these principles, he said, adding the State and relevant authorities, partially responsible for this deficiency, should step up the popularisation of green transformation policies to raise the public awareness.

Recently, the Government and the Prime Minister have emphasised the need for businesses to boost green growth and circular economy. As green growth development can be costly, the State needs to put in place resources to support and prioritise green transformation in tourism, according to Tuan. The national green growth plan highlights that the tourism sector has become a highly prioritised group, thus the State will undoubtedly allocate resources for development. However, the responsibility also lies with local authorities, who need to prioritise and understand green growth and the circular economy, allocating resources and directing optimal budget support for infrastructure investment./.