Tourists at Vinpearl Safari Phu Quoc. Many tourists enjoy vacations at resorts due to the high safety standards. Photo courtesy of Vinpearl

Tourism experts and managers decided that Vietnam's tourism industry should develop with the motto 'safety and attraction' at a conference held on Thursday in Hanoi.

Vietnam has gone 23 days with no community cases of COVID-19, so it was time to start rebuilding the tourism industry. The conference was held by the Vietnam National Tourism Administration (VNAT) and VnExpress online newspaper.

Ha Van Sieu, vice chairman of VNAT, acknowledged that local tourism promotions launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had made a positive impact. The tourism industry revived rapidly between May and July. However, when a COVID-19 outbreak was detected in Da Nang in July, domestic tourism once again faced challenges.

“We have many experiences to learn from, and we put top priority on guaranteeing safety for travellers,” Sieu said.

“Apart from safety, we will also focus on attractions. Localities should launch new promotions and connect with neighbouring destinations.”

Vu The Binh, vice chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said the coronavirus pandemic was an unprecedented crisis for the tourism industry around the world, but it was time to revive the industry in the 'new normal'.

“If we promote tourism in the normal way, we can’t solve the problems,” Bình said. “Enterprises have to focus on service quality, and tourists can enjoy new products or old tours with a fresh twist.”

“I think we can use technology to renovate tourism and bring new experiences to travellers,” Bình said.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, vice director of Da Nang's Tourism Department, said that life had returned to normal in the coastal city.

“We have sent surveys to tourists to ask about their experiences, wishes and suggestions,” he said.

“A competition themed "Remembering Da Nang" will kick off soon to ask travellers to share their memorable moments during their vacations or even if they got stuck in Da Nang."

“We will create new tours and launch a campaign to develop tourism in the long term,” said Bình.

Vietnam Airlines, Vin Group, Sun Group and Alma Group agreed with VNAT’s plan to put safety first.

On the occasion, these groups also presented their strategies and promotions to attract tourists in the last quarter of the year and following years.

Accordingly, Vin Group has completed the four Vin Wonders, theme parks in Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Nam Hoi An and Hai Phong.

Dang Thanh Thuy, vice general director of Vin Group, said the group had concentrated on providing impressively unique experiences at each destination.

“Tourists will have a chance to enjoy international standard services with 50-70 per cent discounts.”

“In the next three years, we want to make Vinpearl Phu Quoc a must-see global destination with remarkable services and programmes.” VNS

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