The future of Vietnam’s tourism industry is in a difficult position when the Ministry of Health issues strict regulations. When asked about the ability to welcome international guests on the occasion of March 15 successfully, many tourism businesses just shook their heads in disgust. Without consensus, the already tricky tourism industry will be even more difficult.
Responding to us, Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh, Head of the Secretariat of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), said that the conditions set by the Ministry of Health are very difficult for tourists. And if this proposal is approved, 90% of people who intend to travel to Vietnam will choose to stay at home or find another more comfortable destination.
“My point of view is to support the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism proposal. This dense isolation and testing regulations are not good. You have to be comfortable; new guests are willing to travel,” he said. Main said.
Since February, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have made “open” proposals to the Government after listening to suggestions from the business community and localities.
However, the Ministry of Health did not accept this proposal and issued regulations such as international tourists must be isolated for three days; if isolated for one day, they will have to be tested continuously for three days.
The responses from the Ministry of Health made the tourism business community angry. Most call this discriminatory behavior against foreign guests.
I was sharing about this issue, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Dac Phu said that the Ministry of Health has grounds to worry about safety in epidemic prevention. However, that is only when the risk of international visitors bringing new virus variants into Vietnam makes it difficult for the health sector to control.
The number of visitors is certainly not as many as domestic visitors. The rate of infection from them is also not high. Therefore, the risk is much smaller than that of trained people,” said Mr. Phu.
According to Mr. Phu, Vietnam needs to create the best conditions for international tourists. Managing the number of cases from this group is not as difficult as domestic tourists.
Such discrimination makes many tourists unhappy. The view from the representative of TAB is that both international and domestic tourists have the same epidemiological factors.
Therefore, domestic guests from Hanoi to Phu Quoc (Kien Giang) can’t be comfortable without testing or isolation, while international visitors face difficulties.
“If it can be proven that international visitors bring many pathogens, then fine. Otherwise, I see that the only difference between international and domestic visitors is medical treatment when infected with Covid-19. The Government will provide Vietnamese people. Support and international guests have to buy insurance to cover the costs,” Mr. Chinh stated.
Although supporting the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the TAB side said it is necessary to find a familiar voice with the Ministry of Health. Convincing the Ministry of Health to accept the Ministry of Culture proposal fully, Sports and Tourism are not accessible. If the two sides cannot find a familiar voice, the Government may need to step in to make the final decision.
Answering reporters, Mr. Chinh commented that the tourism and aviation industry is now “overwhelming.” Rising oil prices make transportation costs high. Since then, airfares have also been inflated. The conflict in Ukraine also causes many problems, affecting tourists’ wallets with money to travel.
“Those are obstacles that no one wants, that naturally arise, we have to accept. But with the self-made barriers, I think they should remove them. All kinds of obstacles have caused the tourism and aviation industries to suffer. Suffering,” said Mr. Chinh.
The TAB representative emphasized that the competition to attract tourists in the region is enormous. Thailand implemented the Test & Go program quite smoothly. Guests only need to isolate for one day; if the test is negative, they usually travel. Or Singapore has just announced that from March 16, Vietnamese visitors only need to test negative before leaving.
Vietnam also needs to look at lessons learned in the world to develop appropriate policies, moving towards treating Covid-19 as an endemic disease.
“I agree that we need to put in place friendly conditions but keep both tourists and locals safe. Specifically, I propose a set of guidelines to ensure safety in the service supply chain tourism service.
The guide needs to be posted publicly on the Government Portal for businesses, localities, Vietnamese embassies abroad, travel companies, etc., to introduce to visitors,” Mr. Chinh said.
Read More: What Does Vietnam Need To Do To Attract International Tourists When it Reopens?