Tourists visit Jeju Island (Photo: Yonhap) Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Department of Tourism will coordinate with the municipal police and relevant agencies to clarify the case regarding 59 Vietnamese visitors who ran away during their trip to Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea (RoK).
After hearing about the incident, the department contacted relevant agencies to identify businesses and individuals involved in the organisation of the tour.
The disappeared tourists are among 155 Vietnamese who went on a six-day trip to the Korean island starting on January 11.
RoK authorities have found and deported 26 people so far, while the 33 others still remain missing.
The holidaymakers went to Jeju Island on a tour organised by five travel firms Hoang Viet Travel-Freight-Investment JSC, Vietrantour, Hanoi Red Tours, New World Travel and Tam Vuong Trading Service and Tourism JSC. Of them, only Tam Vuong had no visitors run away.
There are three individuals involving in the incident, including two who have illegally conducted tourism business activities in the past, and a female worker of the HCMC office of the RoK’s Woori Club Tourism Development Co., Ltd, which operated the tour.
The Hanoi Department of Tourism suggested the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism instruct competent agencies to investigate the operation of Woori Club Tourism Development Co., Ltd’s HCMC office.
It has also issued a memo to travel companies in Hanoi, warning them to take tourist management procedures seriously and follow relevant legal regulations.
According to Do Dinh Hong, Director of the department, many Vietnamese holidaymakers have tried to illegally stay in Northeast Asian and European countries during their overseas vacations, directly affecting the tourism sector of Vietnam.
Against this backdrop, the municipal tourism department requested travel companies increase communication activities in order to raise public awareness of the issue, and preserve and promote the image of Vietnamese people to international friends.
Tour operators were urged to scan the profiles of all vacationers, who have booked outbound tours, especially to Northeast Asian nations like Japan, the RoK and Taiwan, and to Europe.
They were also requested to cooperate with experienced and prestigious foreign partners in organising outbound tours.-VNA
