Tourism-sports connection highlighted

The combination of tourism and sports not only creates the most favourable conditions for nations to get closer but also greatly contributes to a peaceful and prosperous world, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said.
The Deputy PM made the statement at the International Conference on Tourism and Sports co-held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in the central city of Da Nang on September 24 within the framework of the fifth Asian Beach Games (ABG 5).
Viet Nam always defines tourism as a key economic sector, he said, expressing his belief that the conference, with the participation of experienced experts in the field, will help the country in particular have more new resources for developing tourism.
Taleb Rifai, General Secretary of the World Tourism Organisation, praised Viet Nam’s achievements in tourism and sports and said that Viet Nam has been an emerging tourist country with many excellent destinations.
Sports tourism is creating excellent opportunities for countries to increase their strengths, he said, calling on countries to protect the environment and conserve natural and cultural heritages for sustainable development.
At the conference, participants discussed the trend of developing tourism in combination with sports activities, correlation between tourism and sports, and contributions of tourism and sports to sustainable development.
Prof. Dr. Terry Stevens, an international tourism consultant from the UNWTO, said that sports tourism is an important drive for tourism globally and sustainable approaches are needed to make it an effective business.
The conference passed the Da Nang Statement on Tourism and Sport for a sustainable development, which is an official document of the UNWTO to draw the attention of governments, destinations and business communities to developing tourism and sports for the benefits of people and the community as well as for the sustainable development.