Vietnam finished in the bottom five of a global sustainable tourism ranking, placing 96th out of 99 economies, making it among the world’s least sustainable travel destinations according to a Euromonitor International report.
Vietnam joined Morocco, Mauritius, India and Pakistan in the bottom five of the ranking compiled by British market research firm Euromonitor.
The country lagged far behind all its Southeast Asian neighbors like Laos (51), Myanmar (59), Cambodia (74), Thailand (76) and Malaysia (85). Indonesia took up the 92nd spot, followed by Singapore and the Philippines.
The index, which ranked 99 countries and territories around the world, analyzed seven aspects of sustainable tourism, including environmental, social and economic sustainability, country risk as well as sustainable tourism demand, transport and lodging.
Globally, Sweden has been ranked the most sustainable destination for travel, followed by Finland and Austria. Rounding out the top five are Estonia and Norway.
“Sustainable travel has raced to the top of the tourism agenda in recent years. However, only 55 percent of travel businesses implemented some form of sustainability strategy,” Euromonitor said.
The research firm predicted there would be growing awareness among consumers, businesses and governments to prioritize the planet alongside people and profit when global tourism begins again following travel restrictions across the world.
Some popular tourist destinations in Vietnam have been eyeing sustainable tourism development.