Nhan Dan Online – The first international conference on Spiritual Tourism for Sustainable Development commenced at Bai Dinh pagoda in Ninh Binh province on November 21 with over 300 delegates attending from around the world.
The two-day conference has been jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ninh Binh People’s Committee and the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
At the event, discussions are focused on the meaning of spiritual tourism, cultural exchange and responsible tourism, increasing interaction between people through spiritual tourism, the sustainability of spiritual tourism sites, spiritual tourism products and other themes.
Delegates have highlighted the important role and development potential of spiritual tourism, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, which helps promote dialogue and build mutual understanding between cultures.
Speaking at the conference, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan said that we can only develop spiritual tourism in a sustainable manner with close co-operation and mutual support between countries and between the tourism sectors of regional partners.
She said that Vietnam considers spiritual tourism as a means for promoting moral values, patriotism, faith, national unity and strength. Belief and culture are regarded as the core values of spiritual tourism and as a bridge between the Vietnamese people and international friends.
Thus, Vietnam always creates favourable conditions for international co-operation on tourism development and for economic sectors to join the tourism industry, especially spiritual tourism, she added.
The conference is scheduled to issue a ‘Ninh Binh Statement’ on spiritual tourism for sustainable development.
Đăng ký: VietNam News