The first International Conference on Rural Tourism on December 10, 2024 is expected to attract the participation of 300 delegates from national and local management agencies of member countries of the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) and Vietnam, international organizations, the tourism community and the private sector.
The conference will discuss and orient policies for sustainable rural tourism development, ensuring equitable distribution of tourism benefits, job creation, protection of natural and cultural resources, social inclusion, empowerment of local communities and vulnerable groups, including women, youth and indigenous people.
The event brought together speakers from tourism management agencies of UN Tourism member countries, villages belonging to the UN Tourism Best Tourism Villages Network, international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), tourism experts from the private sector (Booking.com, Fliggy, JTB, Intrepid, Planeterra, Rustic Hospitality…), scholars and researchers in the field of rural tourism.
To highlight the importance and contributions of tourism in promoting rural development, the Conference focused on three main topics: National and local policies to promote rural tourism development; Engaging and empowering local communities in tourism development; Developing tourism products, promoting innovation and facilitating market access for rural destinations.
Within the framework of the Conference, the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Best Tourism Villages Network will be held in closed session on December 9, 2024, gathering members of the UN Tourism Best Tourism Villages Network to build the network's strategic framework and future development orientation.
To date, UN Tourism has built a Best Tourism Village Network of 354 members, including tourism villages that have received the Best Tourism Village award over the past 4 years of the award (2021-2024) and villages participating in the Upgrading Program.
Vietnam has had 3 villages recognized as Best Tourist Villages by UN Tourism: Thai Hai Village (Thai Nguyen province, 2022), Tan Hoa Village (Quang Binh province, 2023) and Tra Que Vegetable Village (Quang Nam province, 2024).
The People's Committee of Quang Nam province will organize a post-event destination survey for delegates attending the Conference on December 11, 2024. The tour program will provide opportunities to explore outstanding rural and cultural tourism products of Quang Nam province such as Tra Que vegetable village, Thanh Ha pottery village, Hoi An ancient town...
The United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, with a vision of developing tourism as a driver of economic growth, comprehensive development and ensuring environmental sustainability. Currently, UN Tourism has 160 official members and more than 500 associate members. Vietnam Tourism has become an official member since 1981, belonging to the East Asia - Pacific Commission.
