The local tourism industry has a golden opportunity to reopen for international tourists on March 15, after a two-year border closure due to the pandemic. However, it is vital that safety and efficiency are prioritised alongside making the most of the opportunity, according to experts.
The country saw booming demand for tourism during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. For example, over the nine-day holiday, the central province of Binh Dinh welcomed nearly 160,000 arrivals, a 40 per cent year-on-year increase. Within only two months, the number of tourists who came to the province rose by 37 per cent from the same period last year to reach 650,000 people. People are ready to welcome both local and foreign tourists from the beginning of March, especially when the Government has accelerated the third dose of vaccine to people.
“From the second day of the Lunar New Year Holiday, guests from other cities and provinces came here in droves. Accommodation and restaurants were crowded with tourists, while prices have remained stable," said Tran Van Thanh, director of Binh Dinh Department of Tourism.
According to data from the Department of Travel, the Tet holiday was an impressive start to tourism activities with 6.1 million domestic tourists and 3.2 million staying guests. The Tourist Information Centre, under the Viet Nam Tourism Association (VITA), released data showing that the number of international searches for Viet Nam's tourism from the beginning of 2022 has increased sharply. From the beginning of January, the number of international searches for Viet Nam's aviation has been very high. According to Google Destination Insights, the searching rate was sometimes at 425 per cent.
Vu The Binh, VITA’s vice chairman said: “People's desire to reopen tourism is not only a need for travel and entertainment, but also to develop people's lives and economic sectors. The opening of tourism is not only the will of the tourism industry but also the common aspiration of many social classes, and the country as a whole.”
Commenting on the opening route of Viet Nam's tourism, Binh said: "We can be confident with the decision to 'open up the tourism industry' because we have competitive conditions such as abundant natural resources. During the Tet, the whole country had 6.2 million tourist arrivals in nine days, showing the Vietnamese people's willingness to travel."
The pilot programme to welcome international visitors in phase 2 had welcomed nearly 9,000 international guests. Total revenue was VND25 trillion, said Nguyen Quy Phuong, Director of Travel Department under the General Department of Tourism.
Ready to open
To welcome visitors from March 15, experts have made many recommendations and solutions to ensure the reopening goes off without a hitch.
Phuong said in order to "catch up" with this opportunity, Viet Nam would apply many new measures such as applying electronic visas, exempting single-entry and bilateral visas. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security would report to the Government.
“In addition, the requirement for COVID-19 test results is also loosened. Currently, when entering via air, international guests will be able to apply both testing methods: PCR results are valid for 72 hours, rapid tests are valid for 24 hours. International tourists after having negative test results will be able to participate in tourism activities and self-monitor their health for 14 days, the same as domestic tourists," he added.
Visitors entering through land and sea border gates only need to test at the border gates. If the result is negative, they will be allowed to enter, according to the new rules.