Kicking off the project “Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Ecotourism to support sustainable development in Vietnam and the Philippines”

            The ECOViP project is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission; with 11 parties attending the project including: Nha Trang University - Project Coordinator; Can Tho University; Thai Nguyen University of Science; Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism; University of San Carlos, Philippines; Polytechnic University of the Philippines; Lyceum of the Philippines University; the Ecotourism Society Bojo Aloguinsan, Philippines; University of Portucalense, Portugal; FH Joanneum, Astria; University of Alicante, Spain.

           The major goal of the ECOViP project is to strengthen entrepreneurship and innovation capacities for sustainable development in tourism in Vietnam and the Philippines. The project's aim is to foster the development of innovative interdisciplinary entrepreneurial ecotourism projects by students through cooperation with the business sector; while also creating roadmaps for the improvement of the education programs in tourism in cooperation with the business sector to increase the employability of graduates.

             Through the ECOViP project, the partners hope to contribute to the socioeconomic recovery following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, develop the tourism industry in Vietnam and the Philippines, and contribute to the natural environment's sustainability and conservation. The project is anticipated to take 36 months to complete, from May 2023 to May 2026. The project aims to achieve specific results such as 6 ecotourism spaces were established in Vietnam and the Philippines to foster student innovations toward promoting ecotourism and interdisciplinary entrepreneurial projects; 12 subjects in the field of ecotourism have been updated and newly built to be taught at higher education institutions; 400 turns of students, 200 turns of lecturers, 150 turns of officials, and 30 turns of leaders and managers have been trained in entrepreneurship and ecotourism; 3 competitions and 3 seminars on tourism entrepreneurship were held in Vietnam and the Philippines; 1 overview report on the ecotourism situation in Vietnam and the Philippines; 1 ecotourism policy recommendation report was published.