- Background
The Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development (ST4SD) project is funded by The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) for a duration of four years, from April 2023 to March 2027, implemented by and Center for Rural Economy Development (CRED) and HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation in Vietnam (Helvetas Vietnam).
The main objective of the ST4SD project is to contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive tourism sector in Vietnam. In the long term, the project aims to support the creation of new livelihoods and promote sustainable economic development in the country. This overarching objective will be achieved by focusing on three key outcomes:
- Outcome 1 (macro level): Enhancing sustainable tourism development by ensuring that national and subnational action plans, master plans, and relevant policies include necessary actions. This includes facilitating the decision-making and implementation processes.
- Outcome 2 (meso level): Strengthening Vietnamese training institutions to provide quality training and develop skills and expertise in sustainable tourism. The project will assist in the selection and enhancement of these institutions.
- Outcome 3 (meso and micro level): Encouraging tourism destinations and companies to adopt more sustainable practices in their operations and investments. This outcome aims to make both the destinations and the companies more environmentally and socially responsible.
The project’s preparation phase is scheduled to take place from April 2023 to September 2023. During this phase, an overview assessment of all related activities is required for all the 3 project’s components. One of the crucial components is Component 3, which addresses some of the key challenges in the tourism industry in Vietnam: the lack of good quality products, a lack of diversification of destinations and products, an inadequate distribution of benefits from tourism into more rural areas and a limited awareness for sustainability in tourism.
A desk study on the current status of this component is essential for effectively developing the project document and implementation plan. This assessment requires the expertise of expert with extensive experience in the tourism sector, particularly in supporting tourism destinations and companies that have become more sustainable in their operation and investments.
- Objective(s) of the mission (or consultancy)
The objective of the task is to carry out a desk study of the current status of sustainable tourism development in Vietnam, specifically assessing sustainable development destinations and sustainable development models in Vietnam, solutions for standards, sustainable marketing for destinations and SMEs; destinations in particular:
- The north: Ha Giang
- The central: Quang Nam and Hue
- The South: Can Tho and Dong Thap
- Expected results (or Output)
- The most up-to-date and complete report on sustainable tourism products, destinations and marketing activities being implemented in Vietnam as well as recommendations to improve and measure outcomes in the future.
- Using the Sustainable Tourism Criteria and Indicators (STC&I) tool to diagnose the strengths and weakness of tourism businesses.
- Main Tasks and Activities of the Assignee (or consultant)
The main tasks and activities of the are as follows:
- Clarify the current status of sustainable products, sustainable destinations and implementation related to sustainable tourism development in Vietnam, with a focus on provincial levels.
- Assess the current status of sustainable tourism destinations, and sustainable tourism models in Vietnam, including examining green standards in Quang Nam evaluating the contributions of and roles of green standards and sustainable tourism models
- Provide an overview of sustainable destinations and business models or assessments of sustainable tourism development being applied in Vietnam. This involves analyzing the advantages, limitations, and issues associated with these models or assessments.
- Make suggestions and provide innovative ideas for sustainable tourism development in Vietnam. These suggestions will be aligned with the three main pillars: (a) Solutions to develop sustainable products; (b) Solutions to strengthen sustainable tourism development and marketing sustainable products; and (c) Proposing a suitable model for SMEs to approach sustainable products and standards
- Working methodology
Experts have the flexibility to determine appropriate research methods to complete the assessment report. They may employ quantitative and qualitative research methods, conduct analysis and synthesis of secondary documents, or utilize other suitable approaches. The research methods should be chosen to effectively address the following questions:
- What are the existing sustainable products and destinations in Vietnam? Situation and recommendation?
- What are the current sustainable tourism marketing activities in Vietnam? Additionally, what actions can be taken to enhance these activities in the future?
- What are the difficulties of SMEs in operating and investing in sustainable products?
- What are the existing models for assessing sustainable tourism development in Vietnam? Are there any proposed models for the future, particularly considering the context of Vietnam’s tourism recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic?
- Mission Team / (Responsibilities of the members of the mission team)
One expert or a team expert.
- Time Frame of the assignment
The project expects to receive the asessment report within 10 days (including weekends or public holidays) from the date of signing the consulting contract and present the results of the report in project Workshop on 26-JUNE, 2023 (tentative).
- Reporting / Debriefing
The Final Report (electronic version) should be sent to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bich, Component 3 manager of the project via email: cm3@st4sd.vn before June 23, 2023.
Place and date: Hanoi, 7-JUNE, 2023
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