Khanh Hoa Province:

Developing green tourism

In recent years, Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa tourism has focused on developing green tourism by limiting the use of single-use plastic items, building environmentally friendly tourism models and promote indigenous cultural values in tourism activities. 

At Ba Ho tourist area

Grasping tourists’ tend to nature, the province's tourism industry has developed green tourism. Not only tourist destinations in the mountains, forests or the countryside are green tourism, Khanh Hoa is going green in tourism activities. Since 2019, the provincial Department of Tourism has coordinated with the Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa Tourism Association to organize an idea contest on going against  plastic waste in tourist accommodation establishments, and mobilize tourism businesses participate in the "Anti-plastic waste" movement. Responding to the movement, some businesses have used waste materials to make decorative objects as a message calling for environmental protection. Typically, Champa Island Nha Trang Resort & Spa made flower gardens, windmills, and lighthouses made of plastic waste; Long Phu Tourist Joint Stock Company used waste materials to build a 5,000m2 waste park on Monkey Island... Up to now, hotels and resorts in Khanh Hoa Province have gradually switched to using environmentally friendly materials, such as using cloth bags instead of plastic bags, paper straws instead of plastic straws, glass water bottles, cosmetics made from natural essential oils...For instance, Ana Mandara Cam Ranh Resort (formerly Ana Mandara Nha Trang) has used glass bottles to store water, straws made of bamboo, or disposable rice... "We always aim to develop green tourism by creating green spaces, minimizing waste discharge into the environment. Currently, the resort has said no to single-use plastic items," shared Le Dai Hai - General Manager of Ana Mandara Cam Ranh Resort.

Tourists zipline at Kong Forest tourist park (Suoi Cat commune, Cam Lam district)

In particular, many resorts have invested in building vegetable gardens and farms for tourists to experience. For many years, Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Resort has invested in a large organic vegetable garden. Champa Island Resort & Spa is also a pioneer in responding to green tourism by installing a solar battery system for use. This tourist area also has a vegetable garden and tangerine garden for guests to visit. Some resorts in Bai Dai like Alma, The Anam... have built vegetable gardens, fruit gardens, and poultry farms for guests to visit and experience.

Besides, in recent years, Khanh Hoa has developed many green eco-tourism sites, such as Ba Ho tourist area (in Ninh Ich commune, Ninh Hoa town), Nong Trai Vui (in Dien Lam commune, Dien Khanh district), Lang Nho Lake tourist area (Dien Tan commune, Dien Khanh)... 2 mountainous districts of Khanh Son and Khanh Vinh are also looking for ways to develop green tourism in the direction of community eco-tourism and tourism with agriculture. At the end of 2023, the People's Committee of Khanh Vinh district issued a project to develop community tourism associated with preserving and promoting ethnic minority identities in Khanh Vinh district for the period 2021 - 2025, oriented to 2030, with the expectation to create momentum for local tourism to develop to new heights. Khanh Son District People's Committee also organized a tourism promotion conference in 2023 to introduce potential and attract tourism investment towards turning Khanh Son into an eco-tourism and community tourism destination on the basis of promoting cultural values, imbued with national identity, integrating agricultural and forestry ecological space...

According to Nguyen Thi Le Thanh - Director of the Department of Tourism, in recent years, the province and the tourism industry have always encouraged businesses to invest in developing green tourism. Businesses in particular and the tourism community in general are becoming more and more aware of green transformation in tourism activities. Recently, the Provincial Party Standing Committee issued a plan to build a Green Transformation Project for Khanh Hoa province for the period 2024 - 2030, in which green tourism development is a key focus. This is a task and an opportunity for the province's tourism industry to further the development of green tourism. Accordingly, the provincial Department of Tourism will coordinate with relevant localities, departments, branches and units to advise the provincial People's Committee to develop programs on developing green tourism products, prioritizing the development of eco-tourism, community tourism, island resort tourism and adventure sports tourism towards sustainable development. The industry will develop criteria and deploy green tourism labeling for tourism businesses; develop a set of evaluation criteria and deploy a ranking system on green transformation for tourist destinations and tourism businesses. 

Xuan Thanh
Translated by T.T