Lecture responsible tourism unit 9 responsible tourism good practice for cultural heritage sites in vietnam

UNIT RESPONSIBLE TOURISM GOOD PRACTICE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES IN VIETNAM Picture source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HoiAnOldQuarter.jpg Unit outline Objectives By the end of the unit participants will be able to: • Understand the positive and negative impacts of tourism on cultural heritage and the benefits of responsible tourism • Explain the importance of cultural heritage policy and planning • Explain how to involve stakeholders in heritage planning and management • Identify ways to interpret and communicate cultural heritage responsibly • Explain good practices in the implementation of strategies to minimise tourism impacts on cultural heritage sites • Explain key principles in the development of responsible cultural heritage products • Identify good practices in financing cultural heritage management Topics Overview of cultural heritage and tourism in Vietnam Cultural heritage site planning for sustainability Responsible interpretation & communication of cultural heritage values Cultural heritage conservation & tourism impact management Responsible cultural heritage product development Sustainable financing for cultural heritage management UNIT RESPONSIBLE TOURISM GOOD PRACTICE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES IN VIETNAM TOPIC OVERVIEW OF CULTURAL HERITAGE AND TOURISM IN VIETNAM Picture source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/triller/5057891609/ Defining cultural heritage Heritage - something inherited from the past and passed on to future generations Cultural heritage - often refers to masterpieces of artistic and historic value passed on over time Picture source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chua_Mot_Cot.jpg How UNESCO classifies cultural heritage TANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE Physical manifestations or symbols of cultural expressions or traditions INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE Non-physical manifestations of cultural expressions and traditions of society Picture source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%C4%90%E1%BB%93ng_K%E1%BB%B5_06.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:National_Museum_Vietnamese_History_47_(cropped).jpg The importance of cultural heritage 3% MIXED PROPERTIES Vietnam’s World Heritage Sites NATURAL HERITAGE The Centre of Thang Long Citadel CULTURAL HERITAGE Picture sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BB%99i_An http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%E1%BB%B9_S%C6%A1n http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/A_Busy_Ha_Long_Bay http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phongnha17.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grave_khai_dinh.jpg Number of heritage sites in Vietnam according to type Architectural heritage sites 44.20% Historic and cultural sites 51.20% Significant landscapes 3.30% Archeological sites 1.30% Vietnam’s heritage sites according to level of protection Nearly 7,500 PROVINCIAL LEVEL HERITAGE SITES Over 3,000 NATIONAL LEVEL HERITAGE SITES The connection between cultural heritage and tourism UNWTO: 37% 57% of global tourism has a cultural motivation NATIONAL TRUST FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION: of travellers are strongly influenced by history and culture in their choice of holiday destination (and only 15% are not) EUROPEAN TRAVEL COMMISSION: “…There has been considerable growth of a deeper level of engagement with local culture over the past decade…” The role and importance of sustainable financing for cultural heritage management • Better enable the implementation of prioritised cultural heritage management activities and the achievement of cultural heritage objectives • Provide increased stability and confidence in forward budgeting • Reduce the financial strain on provincial and national budgets Typical economic model of tourism in cultural heritage sites Government funding Return of income over budget National government – Local government Departure & hotel taxes Tourists Entrance fees Payments for goods & services Business & sales tax Businesses Cultural heritages Infrastructure & management costs Licences & user fees Employment & wages Employment & income tax Employment & wages Local communities Source: Font, X., Cochrane, J., and Tapper, R 2004, Tourism for Protected Area Financing: Understanding tourism revenues for effective management plans, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK Three principles of good practice in responsible financing of cultural heritage sites Review financing mechanisms to identify opportunities Implement innovative fund raising strategies RESPONSIBLE FINANCING Support the local economy Principle 1: Review financing mechanisms to identify opportunities • Existing funding and revenue making structures and systems may be inefficient or ineffective providing • Analysing current financing systems can sometimes reveal opportunities to cut costs or increase revenue Picture source: Pixabay, www.pixabay.com Four areas to look for financial opportunities FINANCIAL PLANNING Consistencies / inconsistencies with government financial planning timeframes Ensure up to date Specification / allocation of funding requirements REVENUE GENERATION Range of user charges Account for inflation, current day costs, changes in disposable income, increasing demand Examine opportunities for non-tourism charges BOARDS Role and responsibilities Financial autonomy INVESTMENT Range of existing incentives Examine opportunities to implement new or increase existing incentives Source: PARC Project 2006, Policy Brief: Building Viet Nam’s National Protected Areas System – policy and institutional innovations required for progress, Creating Protected Areas for Resource Conservation using Landscape Ecology (PARC) Project, Government of Viet Nam, (FPD) / UNOPS, UNDP, IUCN, Ha Noi, Vietnam Principle 2: Implement innovative fund raising strategies • Reducing reliance on government funding by generating revenue from additional fund raising strategies is an increasing worldwide trend • To be most effective a range of strategies should be pursued to target different stakeholders and generate the maximum amount of revenue • Strategies may include entrance fees, concessions and leases, taxes and donations Entrance fees Fees charged to visitors to enter the CH CHALLENGES CHARACTERISTICS • Fees charged to visitors to enter the CH • Most effective in high visitation CHs or where unique cultural exhibition items can be found • Rate should aim to cover capital and operating costs, reflect quality of service and product offering, and market demand / willingness to pay • Visitors pay more if they know the money will be used to enhance the experience or conserve culture • Tiered pricing can maximise revenue • Inefficient fee collection resulting in losses of entrance fee revenue • Scarce human resources for fee collection / reducing conservation activities • Corruption / bribery Source: Font, X., Cochrane, J., & Tapper, R 2004, Tourism for Protected Area Financing: Understanding tourism revenues for effective management plans, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK Permits, leases and licences Contracts between CHs and businesses allowing them to operate a commercial activity in exchange for a fee CHARACTERISTICS • Private sector more critical due to limited government funding • Examples: tour guiding, accommodation, restaurants, transportation • Requires good control • CH benefit: business has the knowledge, experience, equipment etc • Business benefit: access to attractive location, limited competition CHALLENGES • Unsuccessful businesses = less revenue • Business not respecting contractual obligations • Business not controlling visitor behaviour • Profit made by business = income lost by CH Source: Font, X., Cochrane, J., & Tapper, R 2004, Tourism for Protected Area Financing: Understanding tourism revenues for effective management plans, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK Direct commercial operation CH authority provides commercial goods and services CHARACTERISTICS • Can cover same activities as private sector • Increasing revenue through the sale of additional goods and services such as souvenirs, food and beverages and in-house tours • Can be wholly-state owner or Public-Private Partnership (PPP) / joint venture • Ensures all / more money is obtained by the CH • Should include local labour and goods / services CHALLENGES • Human resources, knowledge, skills, financial resources • Ensuring businesses are not owned by CH personnel who receive all the profits and no benefit to the CH Source: Font, X., Cochrane, J., & Tapper, R 2004, Tourism for Protected Area Financing: Understanding tourism revenues for effective management plans, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK Taxes Charges on goods and services that generate funds for the government and can be used to support CH management CHARACTERISTICS • Allows for generating funds nationally and on a long-term basis and to use the funds to suit needs • Examples: Local tax on users of a cultural heritage or use of equipment, bed levies on accommodation • Accessing tax concessions for conservation works/donations where possible CHALLENGES • Not popular with locals or visitors • Ensuring money goes back into conservation • Costs of managing the system • Hard to manage “small” taxes (same administration as larger taxes) Source: Font, X., Cochrane, J., & Tapper, R 2004, Tourism for Protected Area Financing: Understanding tourism revenues for effective management plans, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK Donations Gifts of money, goods or services, offered free of charge to support CHs CHARACTERISTICS • Can use trust funds to hold and manage the donations • Providing opportunities for visitors to donate directly to restoration projects including cash, ‘in-kind’ gifts, and labour • Can encourage businesses to donate a small % of sales to support a CH project (e.g restoration of monuments, collection of cultural exhibition items) • Can use donation boxes • Fund raising through projects or events such as cultural festivals CHALLENGES • Requires good communication to visitors by guides and print material etc • Good transparency and accountability in management and use of money Source: Font, X., Cochrane, J., & Tapper, R 2004, Tourism for Protected Area Financing: Understanding tourism revenues for effective management plans, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK Principle 3: Support the local economy • Responsible tourism requires socio-economic benefits are received by the local people • If local communities only see the cost of the CH and no benefits, they are unlikely to support CH management or tourism Picture source: Pixabay, www.pixabay.com Understanding the local communities’ views of tourism in cultural heritage sites Create income Create employment Create opportunities for local businesses Assist community development Protect culture Access to better services Helping build a stronger local economy in cultural heritage destinations Establishing clear mechanisms for the use of fees paid by the tourists Helping the local community to institutionalise its tourism service providers Providing advice and support on how to improve the quality of local goods and services Engaging the local community in the cultural heritage site supply chain Employing local community members as heritage site staffs Bundling the price of a locally made handicraft product into cultural heritage tour fees Implementing financial management training for locally managed cultural heritage sites Source: Eagles, P., McCool, S & Haynes, C 2002, Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Planning and Management, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK Xin trân trọng cảm ơn! Thank you! ... Identify good practices in financing cultural heritage management Topics Overview of cultural heritage and tourism in Vietnam Cultural heritage site planning for sustainability Responsible interpretation... communities around the cultural heritage sites (as well as those living in it) in the CH management plan UNIT RESPONSIBLE TOURISM GOOD PRACTICE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES IN VIETNAM TOPIC RESPONSIBLE. .. components for applying responsible tourism in cultural heritage site management Cultural heritage site planning for sustainability TOPIC Responsible cultural heritage product development TOPIC Responsible