
Can Tho (VNA) – The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho isplanning a green tourism village project to help the local tourism sectordevelop sustainably.
The municipal Department of Labour, Invalids andSocial Affairs had a working session with Life Project 4 Youth (LP4Y), aPhilippine organisation, on April 10 to discuss the Mekong green tourismvillage project.
Head of the project Lisa Bonnion said it is anenvironmentally friendly tourism model that targets areas with eco-tourism andcommunity-based tourism potential, aiming to appropriately make use of naturallandscapes for tourism. This project will create jobs for locals while stillprotecting the environment.
Can Tho, as the heart of the Mekong Delta, isthe first locality in the southwestern region to carry out this model, and theLP4Y hopes success in the city will attract other localities’ attention so asto expand the model to the whole region, she noted.
The project will focus on environmental quality,cultural and social aspects, economic development and management efficiency. Inthe short term, it will help build Can Tho into a tourism city with environmentbeing its top priority, develop ecotourism, conserve cultural identities andnatural landscapes, develop human resources for the industry, and supporttraditional craft villages.
In terms of infrastructure, clean water supplyand wastewater treatment systems will be built for green tourism villages, thetransport network expanded, natural landscapes upgraded, and local customs,history and climate taken into account.
This project will also provide free vocationaltraining on tourism services for low-income and disadvantaged youths agedbetween 17 and 24. Trainees will be provided with jobs in green tourismvillages.
Director of the municipal department Tran ThiXuan Mai said although Can Tho’s tourism is thriving, it is facing greatpressure in terms of environmental protection. Therefore, developing the greentourism village model is necessary.
The department will work with relevant agenciesto devise a plan to carry out the project soon, she added.-VNA