(Cinet)- Tourism conference on the sidelines of the Vietnam International Tourism Mart features ideas and suggestions on balancing tourism development and heritage preservation in Hanoi on April 3.
The Viet Nam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2015 officially opened in Ha Noi on April 03, adopting the theme “Viet Nam – The Land of Heritage.”
It is said this year would focus on introducing natural and cultural heritages that have won UNESCO recognition, as well as numerous other attractive destinations in Viet Nam.
Numerous workshops and forums discussing tourism activities, including a seminar on Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism (ESRT) and another on how to increase the attraction of Ha Noi’s tourism products will be held during the five-day event.
The space at the Viet Nam Exhibition Fair Centre also highlights iconic sites of Ha Noi, like Van Mieu (the Temple of Literature) while a lotus pond invites people to visit the southern province of Dong Thap. An onion field represents Ly Son Island in the central province of Quang Ngai.
Various art performances will take place during the event including Korea’s bibap show, a non-verbal performance based on a signature dish of Korea – bibimbap (mixed vegetable rice dishes and beef); a fusion of traditional and pop music from Korea; Thailand’s famous Muay Thai (kickboxing); Malaysia’s Teh Tarik (making pulled tea) and Vietnamese traditional music.
Some participants emphasized that preservation should be given the top priority, noting that the main target of UNESCO recognition is to honour the heritage’s value and help with the preservation work.
Vietnam is home to 8 world cultural and natural heritage sites recognized by the UNESCO.
In its tourism development strategy to 2020 with a vision to 2030, Vietnam attached great importance to sustainable tourism development in close association with preservation and promotion of national cultural values.
Duong Bich Hanh, representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Hanoi, introduced an overall picture of world heritages in Vietnam and highlighted challenges in preserving and promoting heritages’ values.
Kai Partale, an expert from the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme (EU-ESRT) which hosted the conference, underlined the need to establish a close link between the preservation and promotion of heritage values and principles of responsible tourism.
It will run until April 06 at the Viet Nam Exhibition Fair Centre, 148 Giang Vo Street, Ha Noi.