A staff arranges goods at a duty free store at the Tân Sơn Nhất airport as it prepares to welcome international tourists. — Photo tuoitre.vn

HCM CITY — Shopping and dining service counters at the Tân Sơn Nhất Airport’s international terminal are getting ready to welcome foreign visitors after a two-year pandemic inflicted hiatus.

With Vietnam fully resuming international tourism on March 15, many non-aviation businesses at the airport are preparing to reopen services.

Many duty free shops at the airport, for instance, are rearranging their wares to welcome tourists

The number of international tourists visiting Việt Nam has gone up by over 71 per cent after the partial reopening of the country’s borders with several mandatory measures designed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Under new rules, with negative COVID-29 results, fully vaccinated foreign tourists may freely travel in Việt Nam after just one day of isolation following entry.

In the first 24 hours after arrival, tourists are required to remain at their accommodations and have a COVID-19 test. It is also recommended that they stay put for 72 hours, but if they want to leave after one day, they will need to have a negative COVID-19 test result every day for three days before they set out 

Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hoa, director of the city’s tourism department, said that several preparatory steps have been taken to implement specific programmes in line with the Government’s directions.

Currently, the city has 34 hotels with 6,800 rooms meeting requirements of the pilot plan on welcoming international tourists this year. There are five local businesses – Saigontourist, Vinasun Travel, Hải Vân Cát Travel, TSTourist and Blue Sky Travel – allowed to offer tour packages to foreign visitors. — VNS