Scenarios for post-COVID-19 tourism

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Nguyên Trung Khanh. Photo: CTV

The first tourism promotion campaign had some success, but the market froze very quickly after the reappearance of COVID-19. What are the solutions proposed by the sector to revive tourism while the pandemic remains unpredictable?

The pandemic has changed all economic growth scenarios and strongly impacted the tourism sector. During the 2^e vague, all the efforts made by the competent bodies, associations, localities and companies to relaunch the market have been seriously affected.

In a context of a controlled pandemic within the community, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has implemented a 2^e tourism promotion campaign aimed at the domestic market on the theme “Vietnam, a safe and attractive destination”.

The objective is to create attractive tourist programs in terms of experience and price while ensuring safety according to the directives of the National Steering Committee on the prevention and fight against COVID-19. An important point to have maximum attractiveness is the implementation of a flexible reimbursement and exchange policy aimed at preserving the interests of travelers as much as possible.

What destinations do you think you can offer quickly during this second phase of recovery?

Tourists discovering the beauty of the landscape complex of Tràng An, in the province of Ninh Bình (North) by boat. Minh Duc / VNA / CVN

The epidemic has disrupted all consumer behavior as well as the needs of tourists. For the success of the 2^e A campaign to promote local tourism, tour operators have also launched short-term tours with the addition of those related to nature, health care and sporting activities. To meet the needs of travelers, seaside tourism in the Center is certainly the first choice.

River travel in the Southwest region also attracts a large number of tourists. And of course, the sites of the North are also prime destinations because of their safety and the beauty of the landscapes.

The connection of different tourist sites is mentioned a lot and seen as an important solution during this period. What do you think ?

In the current context, when companies’ resources are severely affected, cooperation between localities and tour operators plays an important role in the success of the programs. During the first promotional campaign, many programs connecting several localities were created such as those between the 12 provinces of the North-East, the 13 localities of the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City, between it and five provinces.
from the South East …

As an intermediary, what can the Vietnam National Tourism Administration (ANTV) do to ensure the quality of services and the interest of different parties?

After the launch of the 2^e tourism promotion campaign, a number of new connection models have been developed between Bà RiaTàu, seven southern eastern provinces, and Ho Chi Minh City, between Binh Dinh, Nghê An (Center) and Hai Phong (North), creating attractive circuits. The links between airlines and groups specializing in the construction of accommodation establishments and leisure centers such as Vietnam Airlines with Viettravel and Novaland are also a new model of cooperation.

The ANTV manages tourism at the state level, always supporting the efforts of localities and tour operators in order to create the closest possible cooperation framework with a view to guaranteeing the success of the 2^e promotion campaign.

In recent times, how have tourism businesses received support from the relevant bodies?

As soon as COVID-19 appeared in Vietnam, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism published and submitted to the government two texts to propose policies aimed at alleviating the difficulties of businesses. These are the solutions to ensure the financial support and social well-being of workers.
When the epidemic broke out again, the ministry released a document last September, for the third time, asking the government to review supportive policies for businesses and to implement a digital map “Vietnam, a safe destination “.

In addition to the domestic market, what international markets does the tourism sector hope to restore in the near future?

River tourism in the Mekong Delta attracts large numbers of visitors. Photo: Minh Tri / VNA / CVN

Currently, the COVID-19 epidemic remains very complicated and unpredictable. The Vietnamese government does not always allow the reception of foreign tourists.

However, in order to prepare for the recovery of the sector, in particular the international market, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is studying solutions to promote tourism once the epidemic has been brought under control.

In our opinion, international tourism will open in several phases. In the immediate term, we are targeting foreigners who have been admitted to Vietnam on regular government-authorized commercial flights from six markets: China, Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan (China), Laos, Cambodia and more recently Thailand.

We believe that in these countries the pandemic is fairly well controlled. If we strengthen the control measures and develop safety criteria in the reception of passengers, we will be able to open little by little
the international market.

Do you think the Vietnamese market will change after COVID-19?

We believe that the evolution of the epidemic is still very complicated. It is therefore not possible to say or predict exactly all the scenarios. However, with everyone’s efforts in the search for a vaccine for the coronavirus, we can hope that the pandemic will quickly be pushed back. So far, domestic tourism is expected to play an important supporting role pending the resumption of international travel in mid-2021.