Quang Ninh (VNA) – Co To island district in thenortheastern province of Quang Ninh has asked local accommodation facilities andtravel firms to apply environmental protection measures in tourism businessactivities to build an island free of plastic bags and other single-use items.

According to head of the Culture-Information and TourismDivision of Co To Nguyen Hai Linh, the island is likely to welcome a largenumber of visitor in summer.

Authorities have requested local accommodations andtourism businesses to increase the use of environmentally-friendly and recycledproducts, Linh said.

The official said that in 2024, the district willencourage all tourists not to bring plastic bags to the island and strictlyimplement the codes of conduct for Co To tourism and environment.

Accommodation establishments and tour operators that do notinform tourists about plastic reduction practices must be fully responsible forany problems that arise, he underlined.

Since August 2022, Co To has implemented communicationsactivities to encourage tourists and residents not to use plastic bags anddisposable items on the island. From September 15, 2023, the district prohibited tourists from bringing single-use plastic items to the island.

In July 2020, the district invested in a new incineratorsystem with a designed capacity of treating 750 kg per hour, handling about 70%of the daily waste generated there.

However, as Co To is located near the intersection of oceancurrents, it is subject to "seasonal landings" of waste from theocean. Therefore, environmental and waste issues are still major problemsfacing the popular tourist destination, especially during the peak touristseason./.