Public demand Son Tra master plan reconsideration
More than 10,361 residents in Danang City have signed a petition to the government to reconsider the recently-approved master plan for developing Son Tra Peninsula according to the city's tourism association.
The association on Wednesday sent a thank-you letter to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressing their appreciation to the PM's instructions which requested Danang City People's Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to reply the association's petition.
“The PM's instructions are good news to lovers of Son Tra Peninsula," the letter wrote. "We are happy to inform the PM that as of April 5, 10,361 local people signed a petition to review the master plan for Son Tra Peninsula so that the environment will not be threatened by new tourism projects."
The letter called on the government keep Son Tra Peninsula as it is now to prevent possible damage from mass construction.
The association said no more hotel and resort projects should be licensed on the peninsula as the city already had 600 hotels and some 20,000 guest rooms, which are enough to serve 15 million visitors a year.
According to the association, Son Tra Peninsula should be developed into a sightseeing and entertainment destination to protect nature. Adding motor vehicles should be restricted on the peninsula to reduce noise and pollution.
Seaside resort projects near the Son Tra Mountain should be limited as they may destroy coral reefs, alter water currents, devastate the shoreline and affect the local community, the letters added.
The association’s chairman Huynh Tan Vinh told the Saigon Times Daily that the unlicensed construction of several dozen villas for tourism on Son Tra Peninsula had sparked public concerns.
The felling of trees to make room for these villas is not the main reason for the association’s decision to propose a review but the master plan has some contents which may do harm to the ecosystem of the peninsula.
In the master plan, up to 1,600 guest rooms would be built on the peninsula, which will impact Son Tra’s diverse ecosystem, Vinh said.
He noted the proposal came as investors had been speeding up work on their projects on the peninsula since the city government’s announcement of the master plan in mid-February.
The area planned for tourism development on Son Tra Peninsula will cover over 1,000 hectares and house luxury resorts and villa complexes, with the number of guest rooms estimated at 1,600 by 2030.
Son Tra District is expected to welcome 3.5 million tourists by 2025 and 4.6 million in 2030.
The association on Wednesday sent a thank-you letter to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressing their appreciation to the PM's instructions which requested Danang City People's Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to reply the association's petition.
“The PM's instructions are good news to lovers of Son Tra Peninsula," the letter wrote. "We are happy to inform the PM that as of April 5, 10,361 local people signed a petition to review the master plan for Son Tra Peninsula so that the environment will not be threatened by new tourism projects."
The letter called on the government keep Son Tra Peninsula as it is now to prevent possible damage from mass construction.
A tourism project on Son Tra Peninsula. Photo by Danviet
In letters sent to the PM and government agencies on March 21, the Danang Tourism Association proposed to review the master plan for developing Son Tra Peninsula into a national tourism site by 2025 with a vision towards 2030 which has recently been approved by the government.The association said no more hotel and resort projects should be licensed on the peninsula as the city already had 600 hotels and some 20,000 guest rooms, which are enough to serve 15 million visitors a year.
According to the association, Son Tra Peninsula should be developed into a sightseeing and entertainment destination to protect nature. Adding motor vehicles should be restricted on the peninsula to reduce noise and pollution.
Seaside resort projects near the Son Tra Mountain should be limited as they may destroy coral reefs, alter water currents, devastate the shoreline and affect the local community, the letters added.
The association’s chairman Huynh Tan Vinh told the Saigon Times Daily that the unlicensed construction of several dozen villas for tourism on Son Tra Peninsula had sparked public concerns.
The felling of trees to make room for these villas is not the main reason for the association’s decision to propose a review but the master plan has some contents which may do harm to the ecosystem of the peninsula.
In the master plan, up to 1,600 guest rooms would be built on the peninsula, which will impact Son Tra’s diverse ecosystem, Vinh said.
He noted the proposal came as investors had been speeding up work on their projects on the peninsula since the city government’s announcement of the master plan in mid-February.
The area planned for tourism development on Son Tra Peninsula will cover over 1,000 hectares and house luxury resorts and villa complexes, with the number of guest rooms estimated at 1,600 by 2030.
Son Tra District is expected to welcome 3.5 million tourists by 2025 and 4.6 million in 2030.
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