Ha Giang’s fee proposal for Dong Van Geopark raises controversy
The management board of Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark said since 2011 experts at the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network (GGN) have discussed entry fee collection and financial autonomy for the tourism site.
A report showed that about 65 percent of travelers to the province would visit the geopark. The number of guests and tourism revenue in the geopark area in 2010-2020 increased by 15-20 percent per annum, higher than the province’s average level (10 percent). It was estimated that about 2.3 million people visited the geopark in 2022.
UNESCO would assess the situation of the geopark every four years and give recommendations for the geopark to implement in the following four years. At least 90 percent of recommendations must be implemented, or the relic would be given a yellow card (with two more years to implement), or red card (have the titles stripped).
Linh Trang
