Proposal to open all international tourism from April 30

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung and economic experts said that opening tourism on April 30 is appropriate.

At the conference on improving competitiveness on the afternoon of January 18, Mr. Hung assessed that the opening was on the right schedule and with the consensus of localities and tourism businesses. Domestic tourism is important, but international opening is required for rapid growth.

"We can't wait long," he said. "April 30 will be a meaningful day. This is the right step and roadmap. We are confident when the pilot successfully welcomed international visitors in the past two months, the vaccine coverage is top 6 worldwide, at the same time ready to travel. This is determination"

Mr. Hung requested that from now until April 30, localities that have been approved for the pilot must continue to welcome international guests and then, if the petition is approved, will open all of them.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung. Photo: Minh Khanh

Mr. Pham Van Thuy, Deputy Director of the General Department of Tourism, proposed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism three things to do immediately. The time to fully open tourism is expected in the second quarter, so that localities and businesses have time to prepare conditions for welcoming guests; strengthen tourism promotion, at the same time expand the scope of piloting to welcome guests and remove constraints. allow all Vietnamese citizens to enter on commercial flights.

Mr. Thuy affirmed that Vietnam has great advantages and is eligible to restore tourism. Over the past time, 7,800 visitors have arrived in Vietnam safely. Currently, Laos and Cambodia have almost completely opened their doors.

Deputy General Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Pham Van Thuy at a meeting on the afternoon of January 18. Photo: Minh Khanh

Mr. Tran Trong Kien, Chairman of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), and Mr. Truong Gia Binh, Head of the Research and Development Department of the Private Economy (Board IV) also agreed with the above proposals. Representatives said that this is "a once-in-a-generation opportunity" or "bringing vitality to the tourism industry." 

On November 17, 2021, 29 tourists from many countries came to Hoi An, opening a pilot program to welcome international visitors back to Vietnam, after more than 20 months of closure due to Covid-19. After that, more delegations went to Khanh Hoa and Phu Quoc. Currently, there are 7 localities participating in the pilot program to welcome international visitors, including Phu Quoc (Kien Giang), Khanh Hoa, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Binh Dinh.

(VNexpress)