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The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), Digital Traveler ~ Asia Pacific eNewsletter, June 2006www.ecotourism.org
Positive Ecotourism Developments in Vietnam
By Attila WoodwardVietnam is a place of incredible natural beauty, rich cultural and historical heritage, hardworking people and tremendous agricultural and intellectual richness. The country is blessed with a 3,250 km coastline of mostly pristine beaches, beautiful lagoons and awe-inspiring Deltas. Biodiversity is rich with an estimated 12,000 plant, 275 mammal, 800 bird, 180 reptile, 2,470 fish and over 5,500 insect species.
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A Visitor at a Phu Quoc Resort
 New economic policies initiated in the late 1980’s, known as “Doi Moi” (renovation),opened the country to foreign investors and international travelers. From 1990 to 2005,inbound tourism has exploded with an average annual growth rate ranging from 11 to14%. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism,
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in 2005, some 3.43million inbound visitors came to the country. The World Tourism and Travel Council(www.wttc.org) predicts that Vietnam will have the sixth highest tourism growth rate inthe world between 2007 and 2016.
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See the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Report (Page 251):www.apo-tokyo.org/gp/e_publi/gplinkeco/32chapter30.pdf  
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 www.vietnamtourism.com 
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WTTC Vietnam Country Report (2006) can be downloaded at:www.wttc.org/2006TSA/pdf2/Vietnam.pdf 
 
 
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), Digital Traveler ~ Asia Pacific eNewsletter, June 2006www.ecotourism.org
Local Women Selling Fresh Vegetables
The sudden rush to capitalize on Vietnam’s tourism assets is starting to threaten the beauty of the country. Surging tourism demand is placing a burden on the short supply of hotels in some destinations. Keen on this new economic opportunity, foreign and localcompanies are investing in multi billion-dollar mega-hotel projects that will put a strainon the environment.
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 There are, however, some positive developments in parts of the country. The Southernisland of Phu Quoc is one such example. In March 2006, I visited the Phu Quoc with thegoal of researching ecotourism initiatives.
 
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Saigon Times Daily, “Dalat’s huge resort project gets closer to reality,” May 4, 2006, Issue No. 2681, Page 3
 
 
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), Digital Traveler ~ Asia Pacific eNewsletter, June 2006www.ecotourism.org
Phu Quoc Eco-Resort
Located some 30 miles from the Vietnamese mainland, in the Gulf of Thailand, at alength of 28 miles and slightly bigger than Singapore, Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largestisland. Beautiful beaches and one of the biggest virgin forests in Southern Vietnam makethis a prime area for ecotourism. Bird life includes the puff throated babbler, stripethroated boo boo, green eared barbet, flower picker, and the lesser raquet tail drongo.There are over 50 species of butterfly and the list goes on.Over the past three years, ambitious plans have been proposed to turn the island into amulti-use tourism destination, complete with golf courses, hundreds of hotels and resorts,and a new international airport capable of handling some 2.5 million passengers per year.
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There is an estimated 80,000 population currently living on Phu Quoc.Three eco-resorts, Thang Loi, Bo Resort and Mango Bay, on the northwestern part of theisland, are setting a different example of what could be done on the island. I visited BoResort and Mango Bay and discovered they are both low-density resorts using manycommon ecotourism concepts, including the use of solar power, replanting of endemicvegetation, and construction materials made from renewable sources such as earth,leaves, stone and bamboo. Mango Bay is taking ecotourism initiatives a step further bygetting involved with large forest preservation projects, setting up a tourism school, and building a handicraft center for local communities.
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 Airline Industry Information, December 28, 2005 issue. Visit the web link at:www.allbusiness.com/periodicals/article/851144-1.html 
 
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dinh kiem

ecotourism inventory resource 2008

reply07 / 30 / 2009
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