Limited events for "Earth Hour" motivate young scientists to study and create very unique tourism products in the dark of night to not only respond to "Earth Hour" and diversify tourism products but also realise their dreams full of romance and humanity.
Reporter Thu Huyen interviewed Dr Nguyen Thu Hanh, President of the Scientific Union for Sustainable Tourism Development, on the launch of tourism products for the Earth Hour.
Where do tourism products for the Earth Hour come from?
On February 27, 2010, my residence in Dinh Cong area, Hanoi did not have power cut as in many other places on earth; hence, I had the chance to watch TV programmes on this meaningful event reported from all over the globe, including Vietnam. The Earth Hour is environmentally meaningful as it helps human beings reconsider what they have behaved to the earth to have appropriate behaviours to save exhausting energy sources and improve the living environment. But, in reality, the organisation of the Earth Hour remains ineffective in Vietnam and many other countries. Most people take part superficially and reluctantly because they think a short time of power outrage have no impact on climate change. As a result, energy saving during the Earth Hour is insignificant. Some places only turn off electricity in 10-15 minutes for the sake of peace and quiet; some do not respond; and some organise irrationally: Using so many candles in lieu of electricity - a more expensive approach. So, my associates and I thought that it was necessary to do more specific to have more effects during the Earth Hour.
Knowing that aspects have two opposite sides: Bright side and flip side, STDe Group shed the light on delving into the beauty of darkness, turning it into a tourist experience. Light or dark has its own values and beauty. We can carry out a lot of interesting activities in the dark, for example, eating in the dark, listening to music in the dark or painting in the dark.
How will this idea be developed?
The idea about the hotel in the dark is made very simple. All hotels and resorts can do with it. There will be very limited use of electricity while giving priority to using natural lights like photogenic stones, photogenic trees or interior reflective light.
Our project puts forth active activities in the dark hour, for instance, night hotels. This experience will help tourists in particular and the entire community in general to have a different look to the significance and value of the dark and feel the beauty of the dark, thus inspiring them to economise electric energy in a voluntary and effective manner in all nights in the year.
Night hotels use electrical energy to a minimum and up to 80 percent of staffs are blind. Visitors will have a chance to experience activities in the dark like eating, entertaining and relaxing in the twilight or in the dark.
They will have unusual, exciting and unforgettable experiences which are possibly love meals in the dark or old-country meal in the dark, watching the moon and the stars, trying astronomical research, sleeping on the mountain or on the beach, attending night festivals like Halloween, Christmas, Mid-autumn, Valentine’s Days, camp fire, etc.
Currently, the Hue City-based Huong Giang Tourism Joint Stock Company and STDe will collaborate to carry out this project. I believe that many businesses will employ this idea because its practicability will strengthen the attractiveness of tourism to travellers.
How will participants benefit from this idea?
Many will be directly benefit from this project. Tourists will have a completely new experience with the dark. Night tourism in Vietnam is now still very poor. Tourists hardly know what to do but watch TV at night in the hotel. As a result, hotels can hardly keep their customers in a long time. Night events will prolong the stay of customers. Limited use of commercial energy sources will benefit businesses. Moreover, the blind will be more confident in the society. And, in a long term, it will help change the understanding of Earth Hour and then adapt their behaviours to the new knowledge like turning off the light whenever they can, not only at Earth Hour. This is also the message of STDe.
Vietnamese
