Tourism sector sets sights on rebound from COVID-19 impact

Vietnam’s full reopening of inbound and outbound tourism activities from March 15 are anticipated to mark an important milestone in which the entire tourism industry can recover and prosper after a long hiatus of being heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to insiders

The tourism industry is expected to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to reopening international tourism.

Experts note that the resumption of international tourism is expected to benefit local travel firms, hotels, restaurants, tourist destinations, transportation, and the tourism community as a whole.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Truong Hoang, head of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality under the National Economics University, said that although the number of foreign arrivals to the country will not increase rapidly over the next two months, the move has played a pivotal role for local businesses to recover from the pandemic.

Hoang emphasized that the gradual increase in the number of visitors will contribute to help travel firms adjust their business strategy, noting that the improved tourism infrastructure and service quality is anticipated to attract a larger number of visitors in the future.

Do Van Thuc, deputy director of Dat Viet Tour Company, revealed that the reopening of international tourism activities will make the tourism industry become more bustling, with travel companies starting the process to recruit workers and designing new tours to attract tourists. Furthermore, the move will see capital gradually put back into business activities again, Tuc added.

Dieter Schenk, managing director of TUI BLUE Nam Hoi An, said that international arrivals have played an extremely important role in the Vietnamese tourism industry and in the development strategy, adding that foreign visitors have not only brought in an additional source of foreign currency, but have also elevated Vietnamese tourism to the wider world.

Most notably, reopening of international tourism will also help the country to develop across a variety of aspects, such as the economy, culture, education, and human resources, while simultaneously helping travel firms to pay the essential operating costs and fees for employees.

A representative of Vietravel Airlines, the first local travel airline, said the carrier has actively recruited a high-quality workforce and increased its aircraft fleet to expand the domestic flight network from 10 to 20 routes in a bid to reboot the domestic tourism during the ongoing recovery period.

Additionally the airline is also working alongside competent authorities from several Southeast Asian and Northeast Asian countries to quickly reopen international flights to these nations in the third quarter of this year.

Nguyen Tuan Anh, vice president of Hanoi UNESCO Travel Club, said this is the right time for tourism businesses to return to the market and recover from the devastating effects caused by the pandemic.

He therefore advised local firms to design new tourism products suitable to meet market demand, prepare to recruit personnel, and utilise the state’s support policies, while strengthening connectivity with localities to launch tours at reasonable prices.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has just proposed that international arrivals to the nation avoid any quarantine requirements, providing they are fully vaccinated, whilst they should submit a negative RT-PRC test before flying and another negative rapid test after arrival.

It is hoped that these steps will serve to help the domestic tourism market recover after being decimated by the COVID pandemic over the past two years.

VOV