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Sustainable Tourism Projects
This section features specific sustainable tourism projects - where sustainable development principles are truly put into practice. Our current featured project is about work we have supported in Vietnam.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN VIETNAM
UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre in Paris asked us to support its efforts in partnering with the provincial government of Quang Nam in the central coastal region of Vietnam. We accepted, and our work there continues to the present.
The project involves a collaboration in whichUNESCO provides technical expertise to the Quang Nam Provincial authorities and site managers at the three UNESCO-designated heritage sites in the province. The twin pillars of the project are sustainable tourism development and integrated regional site management (replacing completely separate site management). UNESCO brought in international sustainable tourism development experts, including Robin Tauck & Partners, for the first phase of the project throughout 2010. Along with offering technical expertise and project management skills, UNESCO introduced its Public-Use Planning (PUP) format to the project. Much of the actually planning focused on the three UNESCO-designated sites, very near to each other in the northern part of the Quang Nam Province. The methodology developed during this phase will continue beyond those sites into a broader provincial framework, with less involvement from UNESCO.
The three UNESCO-designated sites are:
- Hoi An – ancient town with well-preserved historic architecture; designated a World Heritage site in 1999
- My Son – archaeological site of the ancient Cham Kingdom; also designated a World Heritage site in 1999
- Cham Islands – eight islands a short distance off the coast near Hoi An; designated along with portions of the mainland as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2009
We have supported this project and team in several ways:
- Conducted an assessment of the marketability of heritage “assets” (sites and attractions) not currently developed and/or promoted to their full potential within the “corridor” of the three sites
- Made product development recommendations
- Compiled private sector input into issues related to tourism development in these locations
- Conducted training workshops on marketing principles, with a focus on developing visitation data gathering systems
- Promoted sales of heritage site passes to visitors
Thanh Ha pottery village
Product Development
We compiled our findings based on our own field work, interviews with local and national tour and travel companies, and general research. Afterward, we prepared reports and made presentations with recommendations on future product development priorities.
Our key recommendations included:
Cham Islands
Marketing Development
Cham Islands
Currently, many visitors purchase a pass to visit 5 out of approximately 18 heritage sites within the ancient town. The cost for many of these passes is built into the price of tour packages. Much of the revenue is directed to the preservation of the heritage assets, mostly the historic buildings themselves. We feel that enhanced promotion of these passes will deliver two important benefits: (1) the preservation effort will gain more revenue for its important work, and (2) visitors will experience more of the authentic heritage than they currently do.
Through our TRIP foundation, we provided a grant and technical assistance for the development of a heritage map designed to increase the exposure, sales, and revenue of these passes. Currently, 55% of international visitors purchase a pass to visit any 5 of 18 designated heritage sites.
Hoi An Sunset
Marketing Training for Heritage Destinations
We have provided a training course and materials on marketing principles (focusing on how to conduct market research and how to identify and reach out to the visitors most likely to enjoy and respect the authenticity and cultural heritage of Hoi An and My Son). These efforts will support the preservation of these valuable cultural heritage sites.
Recognizing the need to prioritize the strategic needs of visitation data gathering and interpreting the data, we are assisting in the development of systems and processes to fill those needs.