Vice Chairwoman of the Ben Tre Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Be Muoi and leaders of departments and branches participated in “Net Zero Tours Ben Tre” on 22nd March 2024 (Photo: baodongkhoi.vn)

3AI Deputy Director Tran Anh Tuan said: “Net Zero Tours” is a concept related to the organisation of tours in which all activities from transportation, accommodation, meals and other activities are carried out with the goal of minimising the amount of carbon emissions released into the environment. This means that any carbon emissions generated during travel will be carefully calculated and offset through measures such as planting trees, using renewable energy, or other emission reduction projects, aiming to achieve carbon balance, i.e. “net zero”. The ultimate goal is to promote sustainable tourism, reduce its negative impact on the environment and aid in the fight against climate change.

Accordingly, the pilot implementation of the “Net Zero Tours Ben Tre” model aims to promote green tourism, reduce carbon and aim for net zero (zero net emissions) in Ben Tre. It helps raise awareness about environmental protection through the model as well as emphasising the importance of environmental protection and sustainable tourism development. The model has the ability to be replicated inside and outside the province.

Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Be Muoi and leaders of departments and branches visited a more than 30-year-old coconut garden in Ben Tre City (Photo: baodongkhoi.vn)

Participating in "Net Zero Tours Ben Tre", delegates can actually experience tourist destinations in Ben Tre City, like taking a boat on the river, visiting a traditional coconut candy making village, listening to don ca tai tu art singing, and visiting Cocos Nucifera garden. Delegates were also guided by experts from 3AI on how to calculate emissions and choose offset options to reduce emissions during the tour or afterward.

To continue accompanying Ben Tre Province, as well as tourism businesses in the near future, 3AI will open a Representative Office in the province in April 2024. On the province side, department and industry representatives said they were very excited about this programme in the early stages of implementation, looking forward to continuing to accompany and support units to build a set of criteria for reduced tours.

Tourism Information Technology Center