The number of visitors to Hội An has increased in recent weeks. Photo vov.vn

HCM CITY - The domestic tourism industry has seen positive signs recently and has stepped up efforts to ensure safety among travellers.

Hôi An in Quảng Nam Province, for example, has been crowded with tourists. On weekends, visitors flock to popular attractions such as Cầu Pagoda, An Hội Bridge, Trần Phú Street, Bạch Đằng Street and Nguyễn Thái Học Street, among other destinations. 

Lê Thị Bình, owner of a restaurant on Trần Phú Street, told Người Lao Động (The Labourer) newspaper: "After a long pause due to the impact of the pandemic, everyone feels happy and full of hope seeing visitors now coming back to Hội An. Even though it is not as crowded as it used to be, we are still very excited."

Taking her family from Quảng Bình Province to Hội An for a short vacation, visitor Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Linh said that it was a relief to see how the recent outbreak had been effectively controlled. Together with favourable weather conditions and tourism promotions, her family was very happy about their trip.

Trương Thị Ngọc Cẩm, director of the Centre for Culture - Sports and Radio - Television of Hội An, said that Hội An had sold more than 1,000 tickets to the old town between March 8 and 14. Over the past 10 days, the destination had received 600 to 800 visits on weekdays and more than 1,000 visits on holidays. 

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Tân Hiệp Commune in Hội An City Phạm Thị Mỹ Hương noted that the number of tourists to Cù Lao Chàm had been increasing daily.

Meanwhile, HCM City locals have registered for tours at travel agencies such as TST, Vietravel and Viettours, among others. 

Vietravel Holdings between March 8 and 14 had twice the number of visitors per day compared to two weeks ago, at about 10,000 people.

The proportion of booked tours accounted for 50 per cent while the remaining were customers choosing transportation and accommodation services.

Phú Quốc has been one of the most attractive destinations in recent years. Fiditour Travel Company recently received an increasing number of customers opting for tours to the island.

Managing director of Viettours Company Cao Thị Tuyết Lan is positive that the domestic tourism sector is reviving, In fact, many travel agencies have been developing new products for potential customers.

Promotions

Localities have organised new tourism stimulus programmes and some are preparing to open entertainment hubs offering a variety of services for the next national holiday on April 30 and May 1.

The HCM City Department of Tourism is planning two domestic tourism stimulus programmes this year. The first will be held between April and August, with a focus on local tourists, and the second from September to the end of this year, with a focus on welcoming international visitors back to Việt Nam if the pandemic is controlled by that time.

Meanwhile, Hội An plans to launch many special programmes such as photograph exhibitions, the “Hội An Show” performance and a music night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the death of musician Trịnh Công Sơn, among others.

Vingroup will open the Phú Quốc United Centre, a resort and entertainment centre in the North of the island with a scale of over 1,000 hectares. This will be the first “sleepless” super area in Việt Nam, the group’s representative said.

The Phú Quốc United Centre has total investment capital of over VNĐ66,000 billion, including a system of hotels with more than 10,000 rooms, the largest theme park in Việt Nam, VinWonders Phú Quốc, Vinpearl Safari semi-wild animal conservation park, a golf course with 18 holes, and a five-star Corona Casino, among other features.

Covid-19 guidelines

In addition to organising new tourism products to meet locals’ demand, travel agencies and local authorities are responsible for ensuring safety and carrying out prevention measures to combat COVID-19.

Recently, the HCM City Tourism Association held a seminar on safe tourism and potential solutions to revive the industry after the pandemic. The association has developed a set of safe practices for travel agencies and service providers.

The set of practices is in accordance with the current tourism situation and the government's 5K (in Vietnamese) message: Khẩu trang (face mask) – Khử khuẩn (disinfection) – Khoảng cách (distance) – Không tụ tập (no gathering) – Khai báo y tế (health declaration).

Chairman of the HCM City Tourism Association Nguyễn Thị Khánh said that coordinated efforts from relevant authorities would be essential to successfully operate the model.

Meanwhile, vice chairman of the Hội An City People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Lanh said the tourism industry in Hội An was implementing “dual tasks” to ensure safety for people while maintaining current production and business activities.  VNS