Ba Ria - Vung Tau province has stepped up efforts to revive its tourism sector. (Photo courtesy of nld.com.vn) HCMCity (VNS/VNA) - Provinces in the southeast region have agreed to participate in atourism stimulus programme that will help reduce locals’ anxiety whentravelling.
Thenew programme on safe tourism and demand stimulus in Ho Chi Minh City andneighbouring provinces such as Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, BinhThuan, Dong Nai and Tay Ninh is called “7 localities - safe andinteresting tourism”.
Thedeputy director of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial Department ofTourism, Tran Thi Thu Hien, said that safety is the anglethat participating travel agencies should pursue.
Adigital map on safe tourism has been developed to make it easier for locals toplan their trips ahead.
Tourism departmentsin the seven localities are responsible for creating new tourism products andoffering promotions and discounts.
BaRia-Vung Tau will be the first province in the southeast regionto announce the second tourism stimulus programme.
Thedirector of its Tourism Department, Trinh Hang, said that theprovince witnessed positive changes after the first tourism stimulusprogramme. Compared to the same period last year, it welcomed 1.7 milliontourists in July, up 15.3 percent.
Whenthe second COVID-19 outbreak occurred August, the provincialauthorities carried out necessary measures in an effort to preventcommunity transmission, Hang said.
Duringthis second tourism stimulus, 100 percent of tourism establishments in theprovince have planned promotions, up to 30 percent discount forthree-to-five-star hotels and 20 percent for one-to-two-star hotels. Fees toenter popular attractions will be decreased from 10 to 30 percent as well.
“Fromnow to the end of this year, all travellers who choose tourism services withtourism stimulus signage will receive at least 10 percent discountcompared to the listed price,” Hang added.
Multiplelocal tourism associations have agreed to implement safety measures required byall tourism authorities while creating interesting tourism products.
Thechairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, Nguyen Huu Tho, saidthat neighbouring localities that have advantages in ecotourism, beautifulresorts and coastal lines should cooperate with each other.
Domestic tourism
Thechairman of the Board of Directors of Vietravel Company, Nguyen Quoc Ky, saidthat the company was able to generate significant revenues in July.
Hestressed the importance of efficient use of human resources during the time ofpandemic. The company has divided its labour force into five groups, withthe core group working non-stop, while the remaining ones are reporting atvarious times. The fifth group was asked to leave the company.
Atthe same time, Vietravel has focused on marketing to launch well-roundedtourism packages.
“Thecompany used to take domestic tourism lightly, and this unfortunate period hasprovided us with a chance to re-examine our business plan. In addition totreating domestic tourism with kindness, authorities need to come upwith efficient campaigns to recover the sector,” Ky said.
BesidesVietravel, many travel agencies have “spiced up” their products, whichcan be seen in the case of Binh Chau hot spring tourist area in Xuyen Moc district in Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
PhamAnh Kha, a representative for the project, said the Binh Chau hotspring tourist area has been renovated with a total investment of over 1,500billion VND.
Theincreasing number of tourists coming to the area recently has been apositive sign.
Creatingtourism linkages between neighbouring localities is essential to thetourism stimulus programme, Kha added.
Meanwhile,Huynh Van Son, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sai Gon Star Company,said the company has carried out research on night tourism.
TheMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has collaborated with the Ministry ofHealth and Ministry of Information and Communications to develop a safe tourismmap with clear, updated information on the COVID-19 pandemic.
TheNational Administration for Tourism has also proposed new preferentialpolicies as a way to further support local travel agencies./.
VNA
