Quang Nam Province will host the 1st UN Tourism Conference on rural development, highlighting tourism’s role in economic and cultural sustainability.
Quang Nam Province will host the 1st UN Tourism Conference on tourism for rural development from 9-11 December 2024, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at a press conference.
The 1st UN Tourism Conference on tourism for Rural Development is expected to attract hundreds of delegates from national and local management agencies of UN Tourism member countries and Vietnam, international organizations, tourism experts, tourism enterprises. The conference will be broadcast live on UN Tourism’s official YouTube channel.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong speaks at the press conference. Photo: TITC
Speaking at the press conference, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong said that rural areas are home to many cultural and natural heritage sites in the world, featuring amazing values of landscapes, traditional customs and local community identities. The ecological and cultural richness of rural areas is gradually being paid attention to and developed into a type of tourism with great potential, capable of stimulating local economic growth, contributing to GDP growth, creating jobs and reducing the seasonality of tourism.
Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism Ha Van Sieu informs about the UN Tourism conference. Photo: TITC
The 1st UN Tourism Conference on tourism for Rural Development taking place in Quang Nam will be the first global event gathering national and local governments, international organizations and the private sector to highlight and enhance the vital role of tourism in advancing rural development.
The conference will focus on: (1) Building policies to promote tourism for rural development, discussing how government policies can effectively promote rural tourism destinations. (2) Building strong linkages between agriculture and tourism; Presentation of UN Tourism/FAO Guidebook for the Development of tourism in globally important agriculture heritage systems (GIAHS). The panel will dive into strategies for integrating agriculture and tourism to promote sustainability and benefit local communities. (3) Innovative approaches to funding opportunities. The panel will explore available funding opportunities for rural areas.
Alongside the conference, the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism Network will take place on 9th December as an invitation-only private session. This meeting will bring together network members, including Best Tourism Villages and villages involved in the upgrading program, along with national focal points to establish the strategic framework.
At the technical visit on 11th December, the delegates will visit Tra Que Vegetable Village, learn about traditional pottery making at Thanh Ha Pottery Village and visit Hoi An ancient town – a land of convergence and exchange of Eastern and Western cultures.
On this occasion, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Quang Nam Provincial Department of Tourism will organize the space to promote Vietnam’s culture, tourism and agricultural products throughout the days of the conference.
UN Tourism has developed a Best Tourism Village Network of 354 members, including tourism villages that have received the Best Tourism Village award over the past 4 years (2021-2024) and villages participating in the upgrading program. 3 villages of Vietnam have been recognized as Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism including: Thai Hai Village, Thai Nguyen Province (2022), Tan Hoa Village, Quang Binh Province (2023) and Tra Que Vegetable Village, Quang Nam Province (2024).
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
