The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang, in cooperation with the Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development (ST4SD) project, has officially launched Da Nang Green Stay, a set of criteria for green tourism accommodation facilities with the message of green practices – elevating destinations.
That's according to Booking.com's 2026 survey of 32,500 travellers across 35 markets, showing that sustainable tourism is becoming an important factor for tourists. Now, Danang is trying to turn that shift into an advantage.
Its new Green Stay criteria covers many aspects from saving energy to cutting waste, reducing single-use plastics and buying more locally. Businesses can join at three different levels.
Nguyen Thi Hoai An, Deputy Director, Danang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: "Going green is everyone's responsibility. But it's also an opportunity for businesses to cut costs, improve operational efficiency and service quality, and strengthen their competitiveness".
Going green is no longer just about image. The pressure is increasingly coming from the market itself.
Nguyen Thu Trang, Sustainable Tourism Development Consultant, ST4SD Project added: "For example, Agoda and Booking.com now give some preference to properties that have received independent third-party sustainability certification. They also provide filters that allow travellers to identify accommodation that is greener or more environmentally friendly, based on those recognised sustainability certifications"
Danang's framework was developed with support from the Swiss-backed ST4SD project. It draws on Switzerland's Swisstainable model and references global standards.
The same shift is happening across the region. In Singapore, more than 70 percent of hotel room stock now holds internationally recognised sustainability certification. Thailand's Green Hotel Plus standard has also been aligned with global criteria.
In Danang, some hotels are already putting green practices into daily operations.
Andre Pierre Gentzsch, General Manager, Furama & Ariyana Int'l Tourism Complex Danang said: "We have created our own water bottle factory inside the hotel because we don't believe that you should only replace the plastic bottles, but you also should reduce the transport. What's the point if we buy water bottles and we refill them if they have to drive fifty kilometers every day and use petrol? So we simply decided to have our own water factory here, reducing carbon dioxide".
Starting in September, Danang will begin training and guiding accommodation businesses on how to apply the new standards.
