Five ACMECS States Pledge Responsible Tourism

 

In ACMECS member countries, tourism plays an important role in enhancing community capacity and boosting socioeconomic development, especially in remote and rural areas.

 

ACMECS Tourism Ministers agreed to approve the ACMECS Ministerial Declaration on Responsible Tourism to reaffirm the ACMECS tourism sector’s commitment to responsible, sustainable, inclusive and balanced tourism development; strengthen responsible tourism policy framework, enhance information and experience exchanges, facilitate a responsible use of cultural and natural resources for tourism product development; encourage education and training and enhance suitable expertise for target groups; promote and support socioeconomic advancement of vulnerable groups through responsible tourism; and strengthen the cooperation between the public and private sectors with the involvement of international and non-governmental organisations.

 

The Ayeyarwady - Chao Phraya - Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) comprises Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. ACMECS aims to strengthen common and bilateral economic cooperation to exploit and promote comparative advantages among regions and member states, enhance competitiveness and narrow development gaps. This organisation was established in November 2003 at the initiative of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

 

In 2015, the member countries welcomed 52 million international tourists and 8.8 million intra-regional tourists, up 17 per cent and 8 per cent over 2014, respectively. That growth also posed threats to the environment and society that might arise from the development process. That was why the ACMECS Tourism Ministers reaffirmed strong commitments to developing responsible and sustainable tourism.

 

In Vietnam, the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme (ESRT) funded by the European Union (EU) in 2011 has supported the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) to integrate responsible tourism into all tourism plans, management and operations.

 

Responsible tourism is recognised to play an important role in sustainable development and contribute to socioeconomic development. To support this process, the Guide on Responsible Tourism Policies - one of the key results of EU-ESRT Project - was created with the coordination between VNAT and stakeholders.

 

Ms Mary McKeon, Chief Advisor of EU-ESRT Project, said the coordination of VNAT and of EU-ESRT Project in mainstreaming responsible tourism in the tourism industry has brought significant results with responsible tourism awareness-raising programmes reaching more than 7,000 private beneficiaries and tourism authorities from provincial to grassroots levels nationwide.

 

The EU-ESRT Project has supported provinces to work together in destination management in the provincial level in the region. One of the project’s principles is to strengthen tourism partnerships between the public sector and the business sector.

 

Mary McKeon also hoped that works done and resources provided by the EU-ESRT Project will become a solid foundation for the development of responsible and sustainable tourism in Vietnam.