June 2026

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 06 June 2026
The Role of Interaction between Enterprises and Communities in Building the Cultural Environment of Tourist Destinations: A Co-Governance Approach
Pham Thanh Sang
Thu Dau Mot University, Ho Chi Minh City
DOI : https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i6n24

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ABSTRACT

Vietnamese tourism has grown rapidly, but this growth has also brought risks of heritage overcrowding, festival commodification, and the erosion of the authenticity of living cultural practices. This article analyzes the interactive role of enterprises and communities in building the cultural environment of destinations from the perspective that “people are the center” and that a “healthy cultural environment” is required. Based on policy–legal analysis and a literature review on responsible tourism, community-based tourism (CBT), authenticity–commodification, and overtourism governance, the article proposes a “destination cultural co-governance” framework consisting of four layers: values–norms, living cultural practices, space–infrastructure, and institutions–governance. The findings show that the community is the “immune system” of culture, while enterprises are the driving force of organization and innovation; however, without institutional design and fair benefit-sharing, conflict and commodification will intensify. The article suggests a governance toolkit based on consensual cultural boundaries, fair benefit-sharing mechanisms, codes of conduct, and carrying-capacity regulation in order to promote sustainable tourism development.

KEYWORDS:

cultural environment; responsible tourism; community-based tourism; tourism enterprises; traditional festivals; co-governance; authenticity; commodification.

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Cite this Article:Sang, P. T. (2026). The Role of Interaction between Enterprises and Communities in Building the Cultural Environment of Tourist Destinations: A Co-Governance Approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE HUMANITY & MANAGEMENT RESEARCHS, 5(6), 1565-1576. https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i6n24

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 06 June 2026

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