Safe, attractive destinations open up opportunities for tourism recovery

Hanoi (VNA) – After a long hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has piloted welcoming foreign visitors back to several key tourist areas. Safety for tourists, travel businesses and destinations has always received top priority, thus helping boost the tourism industry’s recovery and development.

Specifically, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) launched a campaign called "Live fully in Vietnam" in mid-November to popularise the pilot programme, towards the full reopening of the country in 2022.

The five destinations chosen for this scheme are the northern province of Quang Ninh; Quang Nam province, Da Nang city, and Khanh Hoa province's Nha Trang in the central region; and Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.

As of December 6, Kien Giang, Quang Nam and Khanh Hoa had welcomed 1,179 foreign investors, while Quang Ninh and Da Nang plan to welcome foreigners back in January 2022.

Fully vaccinated travellers from 72 countries with vaccination certificates recognised by Vietnam, who hold vaccination certificates or COVID-19 recovery certificates and have negative RT-PCR test results within 72 hours prior to departure, are now welcomed to these destinations. Children under 12 years of age are not required to have certificates of vaccination.

Meanwhile, in November, the number of domestic holidaymakers hit 2.5 million, a threefold increase compared to that of the previous month.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Doan Van Viet said 2022 is still a challenging year for the tourism industry, so it is necessary to promote the leverage role in several major tourist centres.

Accordingly, in the coming time, the sector will continue to focus on exploiting the domestic tourism market, putting safe tourism on the top, and bringing truly impressive and unforgettable experiences to visitors.

To that end, Viet suggested localities focus on ensuring safety for tourists; stepping up tourism promotion, diversifying products to meet new market trends, speeding up the digital transformation process, and supporting businesses to accelerate the recovery of tourism activities./.