Binh Thuan aim to fight against plastic waste for tourism development

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Despite these positives, the development of the province’s tourism industry has had a negative impact on the environment, largely due to bad habits of incomers such as littering, especially plastic waste, into the surrounding areas.

In order to develop Binh Thuan and Mui Ne National Tourism Site in a green and sustainable manner, environmental protection activities should be deployed with an urgent focus on the fight against plastic waste. This fight will require the participation of the entire society, including efforts from businesses and the wider community, Mr Chinh noted.

Nguyen Van Khoa, Chairman of the Binh Thuan Tourism Association, said coastal tourism sites in the province have dealt with waste drifting in from the ocean with 90 per cent of rubbish being made up of plastic waste.

Delegates at the event underlined the importance of expanding environmental campaigns in the fight against plastic waste by cleaning up beaches and using environmentally friendly products.

Anton Bespalov, Director of Victoria Resort, shared some experiences in the use of products to replace plastics. Mr Bespalov noted how all nylon bags and plastic products in the resort’s rooms had been replaced by wooden products and paper bags.

He underlined the involvement of travel companies in the fight against plastic waste, which will help to elevate the image of Binh Thuan as a tourism destination to international visitors.

Delegates at the event said priority should be given to increasing public awareness about not throwing away rubbish into the environment while additional waste bins should be installed in public places.

Currently only 15 tourism businesses in Binh Thuan have participated in a campaign to say no to single-use plastic products, use environmentally friendly products themselves, and take part in the Clean Up Day program. 

Chinh also called on tourism businesses and major localities nationwide to change their habit of using single-use plastic products including nylon bags.

He noted that all travel companies in the region aim to use environmentally friendly products by 2020 and say no to the use of nylon bags in supermarkets.