Hanoi (VNA) - Young people in Vietnam have demonstrated theirdevotion to sustainable tourism as the Viet Youth on Sustainable Tourism (VYST)project kicked off in Hanoi on March 22.

The project, initiated by students from British University Vietnam (BUV) andthe Vietnam University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU-USSH), bringstogether young people who are extremely interested in learning aboutsustainability issues related to tourism and spreading the message ofresponsible travel to everyone.

“With the slogan ‘Dare to dream, dare to change’, we would like to show ourstrong belief in a much better tourism industry that is beneficial and ethicalfor all; and our determination to make positive changes to the smallest actionof every single individual,” said Bao Linh, founder of the project.

“The core missions of VYST are to raise people’s awareness of the importance ofresponsible travel and the global trend of sustainable development, and makereal positive impacts on both the environment and host communities by enhancingpeople’s knowledge, behavior and actions in tourism-related activities.”

VYST is a one-year project whose target is to raise awareness about theimportance of sustainable tourism, a global phenomenon which requires actionfrom different stakeholders including governments, local authorities, and othertourism businesses.

“However, VYST specifically aims to spread the message about individualresponsibility by becoming responsible travellers to contribute to the big sustainabletourism picture,” Linh said.

In the framework of the VYST project, there are four main events including theworkshop ‘Young leaders towards Sustainable Tourism’, photo contest ‘Storiesworth sharing’, an exhibition ‘Sustainable Tourism: The global yet individualphenomenon’, and a closing ceremony wrapping up the project’s achievements.-VNA