From a few hundreds, the site now attracts more than 450,000 visitors a year, with an average growth rate of 10% in recent years, according to the seminar, which discussed how to develop My Son Sanctuary in a sustainable manner.
However, delegates argued that developing heritage tourism is not just increasing the number of visitors, but finding solutions to safeguarding the site's cultural and natural values and create sustainable livelihood for local people. They also discussed in depth how to build a heritage economy model, mechanisms, and policies to develop My Son sustainably.
My Son Sanctuary was built in the 4th century as a major religious center of the ancient Champa Kingdom. By the 13th century, the site had undergone multiple renovations and is now a complex of more than 70 architectural works.
