Hanoi: The northern coastal province of Quang Ninh has dedicated resources to maximise its potential for developing tourism, particularly cultural and community-based tourism. Quang Ninh, home to more than 20 ethnic minority groups, is well-known among tourists not only for its magnificent natural scenery but also for its distinct local cultures. Investing in cultural values and ensuring that local communities benefit from cultural tourism development is a direction toward sustainable tourism. Quang Ninh has successfully initiated this approach with a model of cultural tourism in Yen Duc village in Dong Trieu township. Not only Yen Duc, Quang Ninh boasts many villages with great potential for culture tourism. Many locations have been included in the province's community tourism development project and others of localities in Ha Long city and Quang Yen, Dong Trieu, Binh Lieu, Ba Che, Hai Ha, and Mong Cai districts, and coastal and island areas of Van Don and Co To districts. The traditional cultural value s of ethnic minorities in Ky Thuong mountainous commune in Ha Long city have been exploited in parallel with ecological values, becoming unique tourism products. Thanh Y Dao cultural conservation area in Bang Ca commune is also an attractive cultural tourism destination in Ha Long city. Recently, several travel firms have organsised tours to the site. Tourists, especially international visitors, are very excited and enjoy these activities. Exploiting cultural resources well to serve tourism development has become a right direction for Binh Lieu district, thus gradually forming strong tourism products such as eco-tourism, community tourism, and adventure tourism. Some homestays in Binh Lieu's ethnic minority areas such as Song Mooc, A Dao and Hoa So have become popular places to stay for tours. Among the four tourism pillars of Quang Ninh, community-based tourism plays an important role in promoting socio-economic development of the locality, especially in mountainous, remote and disadvantaged areas, contri buting to preserving and upholding the cultural values of local ethnic groups. Insiders say it is necessary to create a close linkage among the local authorities, businesses, and tourism service providers, thus enhancing community tourism development in the locality. The sustainable development of community tourism relies on the active participation of local communities, who share both the benefits and responsibilities, they stressed. Recently, at a workshop on orientations for tourism development held in Ha Long city, Vice Chairman of the National Council for Cultural Heritage Dang Van Bai affirmed cultural tourism contributes to preserving, promoting, and enriching the unique cultural values of Quang Ninh. Cultural tourism is an effective means to promote the culture and image of attractive tourism destinations in Quanh Ninh, especially the World Natural Heritage Site Ha Long Bay, to international friends, he said. Quang Ninh also aims to contribute to building and positioning the Vietnamese tourism br and in the international market./. Source: Vietnam News Agency SEOUL, South Korea's top container shipper HMM Co. said Wednesday its earnings tumbled in 2023 from a year earlier due to sluggish demand and lower freight rates. Net profit came to 1.01 trillion won (US$760 million) last year, down 90 percent from a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. Sales sank 55 percent on-year to 8.4 trillion won, with operating income also plunging 94 percent to 584.9 billion won. HMM attributed the bottom-line tumble to slowing demand and decreased shipping rates on all routes. The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index, a barometer of global freight rates, averaged 1,006 points last year, down 71 percent from 3,410 a year earlier. HMM said its operating margin stood at 7 percent last year, with its debt-equity ratio falling to 20 percent from 25 percent. Market watchers said HMM's poor 2003 performance could cast a shadow over the sale of the shipper controlled by the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) and the Korean Ocean Business Corp. A week ago, the tw o state agencies announced the rupture of their talks with a local consortium on the sale of their 57.9 percent stake due to differences over key issues. In 2013, KDB injected 6.8 trillion won in public funds into troubled Hyundai Merchant Marine, HMM's predecessor, which went bankrupt and was placed under KDB control three years later. HMM shares ended 0.39 percent down at 17,750 won on the Seoul bourse Wednesday, outperforming the broader Korea Composite Stock Price Index's 1.1 percent decline. Source: Yonhap News Agency