Representatives of HCM City, and Đồng Nai, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, Bình Dương, Bình Phước and Tây Ninh provinces sign an agreement on cooperation in developing green tourism. — VNA/VNS Photo

ĐỒNG NAI — The Southeast Tourism Association (STA) convened a conference on December 25 in Đồng Nai Province to review the implementation of an agreement on regional tourism linkages and to chart the path forward for sustainable tourism development.

Representatives from six localities in the southeastern region shared ideas to advance sustainable tourism, including creating shared tourism products, integrating offerings across provinces, and encouraging accommodation facilities to adopt green practices.

Hồ Như Ngọc, Secretary-General of the Bình Dương Tourism Association, emphasised that robust inter-provincial connections and cohesive tourism products are critical for sustainable growth. She noted that while the region had previously launched inter-regional tours and routes, they did not yield the expected results. She suggested conducting in-depth research to identify tourism products that highlight the unique characteristics of each locality. These, when combined into a cohesive framework, could create comprehensive inter-regional tours featuring diverse attractions that draw more visitors.

Nguyễn Thi Khánh, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, lauded the STA for organising a variety of tours that connect provinces and cities in the region. She highlighted the region’s abundant attractions and its potential to offer compelling tourism experiences. She urged the localities to enhance cooperation in promoting and marketing these offerings to both domestic and international travel companies, thereby amplifying the region’s tourism appeal.

She also stressed the importance of refining the regional collaboration model, which has proven effective in attracting tourists. Khánh called on the region to align with Việt Nam's green transition strategy by adopting sustainable practices across various sectors, particularly tourism. She proposed establishing unified standards and criteria to ensure a cohesive approach to green tourism development.

The STA reported the region welcomed over 73 million visitors this year, including more than 67 million domestic and nearly 7 million international.

Tourism revenue surpassed VNĐ215 trillion (US$8.4 billion), up 18 per cent from the previous year.

During the event, the STA signed an agreement to promote green tourism in the region which focuses on sharing experience in implementing and developing green tourism models, strengthening connections among tourism businesses and supporting members in creating low-carbon tourism products and services. — VNA/VNS