The Da Nang Tourism Department and Transport Department signed an agreement early this week on installing cameras on tour buses to enhance security for visitors and help State management agencies better oversee travel activities. However, there are concerns the customer's privacy can be infringed.

A tour bus runs along a street in the central coastal city of Da Nang 

The move to install cameras is expected to ensure the security and safety of visitors, protect customers’ assets and belongings and maintain a reputable image of the city.

In the initial phase, cameras will be installed in vehicles with more than 30 seats. To date, only eight transport firms and tour operators have completed the installation on 27 autos with more than 30 seats, just a trivial fraction compared to the city's fleet of over 2,200 vehicles, of which 567 have more than 30 seats.

Some travel firms on August 22 noted that if social promotion and publicity programs work well, the installation of cameras would have significant positive results, including checking foreign tourists’ bad behavior, detecting unlicensed tour guides, preventing zero-dong tours.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh, director of the tourism firm Omega Tours, pointed out that since many tourists reportedly lose their belongings on tour buses, it is necessary to install cameras on these buses to ensure the security of the tourists and their belongings on one hand and help manage tour guides on the other.

Le Tan Thanh Tung, deputy general director of Vitours, stressed that all policies have pros and cons. The installation of cameras, despite affecting customers’ privacy rights, is essential and useful in preventing violations, especially the zero-dong tours, which refer to travel products illegal organized by foreign agents without generating any revenue for the local tourism industry.

“Installing cameras in hidden locations will not affect the tourists’ privacy,” Tung told The Saigon Times, adding that camera controllers are only required to extract images and clips from cameras when necessary.

Meanwhile, other tour operators have yet to sign the commitment to join the program for various reasons, including the negative influence on customers’ privacy, high installation costs of VND3-5 million each bus and conflicts over the extracted images.

In terms of governance, Huynh Duc Trung, head of travel bureau under Da Nang Department of Tourism, noted that the installation program is aimed at deterring tourists from behaving badly and spreading inaccurate information about the city and Vietnam.

Certain foreign travel agents do not support the installation as they are afraid that their illegal operations will be discovered, Trung remarked, adding that protecting tourists’ belongings and controlling travel firms and tour operators are the goals of the program.

The Department of Tourism will continue conducting its social publicity campaign to reassure the public of the benefits of installing these cameras.

The installation of cameras on all tour buses in Da Nang City is slated for completion by the end of September, as regulated by Dang Viet Dung, vice chairman of Da Nang City's government. The regulation also encourages international tour operators to follow suit.

SGT