Package tours to vietnam

Binh Thuan (VNS/VNA) – During a dive on a small island off the coast of Binh Thuan province, Nguyen Van Gioi and other tour guides were able to see hundreds of poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish , which are coral predators.

“When diving to look at coral reefs on Hon Tranh isle, we saw crown-of-thorns starfish seriously devastate the coral reefs,” said Gioi, a tour guide on Phu Quy Island in the south-central coastal province.

He and other tour guides on the larger island of Phu Quy decided to set up a team “to catch these poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish to save coral.”

According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science, crown-of-thorns starfish are marine invertebrates that feed on coral and occur naturally on reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific region, and when conditions are right, they can reach plague proportions and devastate hard coral communities.

The institute’s research has revealed that crown-of-thorns starfish are a major cause of coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef.

These starfish can grow to over 50 centimetres in diametre, and one individual can consume over 13 square metres of coral reef per year, according to the New Heaven Reef Conservation Programme’s team in Thailand.

When Gioi and other members of the team have free time, they go to Hon Tranh isle to catch crown-of-thorns starfish.

“In one day, we can catch nearly 500-700 starfish. We often catch them in summer because the water is warm for diving,” Gioi said.

Compared to the past, more and more crown-of-thorns starfish are appearing because of an imbalance in the marine ecosystem, he said, adding that starfish predators such as giant triton snail and sea urchins are overfished on the island to serve tourism.

Sea urchins play a critical role in maintaining the balance between coral and algae.

Nguyen Trong Tan, another member of the team, said: “Diving to see coral reefs on Hon Tranh isle appeals to tourists. So when coral is lost by crown-of-thorns starfish, tourists will no longer like to come to the island. His job as a tour guide also will be affected.”

Tan has called on other tour guides to join his team to catch crown-of-thorns starfish when they have free time.

Crown-of-thorns starfish are very poisonous and dangerous for divers, he said. When their spines accidentally hit a diver, it causes swelling and severe inflammation which could be life-threatening.

Gioi said: “We’re very careful when catching starfish. We are working for sustainable tourism development on the island.”

Binh Thuan province’s Fisheries Division estimates that each 100 square metres contains 50-60 crown-of-thorns starfish.

Binh Thuan province has two marine reserves in Cu Lao Cau and Phu Quy island s.

Phu Quy Island is surrounded by a thick ring of coral reefs. Its deepest point is 42 metres. The island has 72 species of seaweed, 134 species of stony coral and 15 species of mollusks.

According to the Fisheries Division, 10 years ago, the sea surrounding the island was recognised as having the most beautiful coral reefs in the country. However, over the last several years, coral reefs have been devastated or lost.

That is why the province set up the marine reserve on the island.

The division has been working with the Phu Quy People’s Committee to carry out a crown-of-thorns starfish monitor programme. Their staff dive to catch and find them.

It has also asked for help from the Directorate of Fisheries and Institute of Oceanography in Khanh Hoa province’s Nha Trang city to provide the optimal methods to kill them./.

VNA

The Hanoitimes – Vietnam’s tourism sector is preparing to welcome back foreign tourists. The tourism sector will submit a schedule for re-starting inbound tourism in the coming time.

Vietnam’s tourism sector is expected to resume welcoming inbound travelers sooner than many other countries in the region will do thanks to the success in containing the pandemic. “Vietnam is a safe place” would be the new slogan, said businesses and insiders at the recent conference on post-Covid-19 solutions for the tourism industry.

En cave, Quang Binh province. Photo: Vic (Facebook)

At the conference titled “Solutions promoting domestic tourism and recover international tourists” held on May 21, Steve Wolstenholme, CEO of Hoi An South Development (Hoiana), suggested that Vietnam needs to communicate the message “Vietnam is a safe place” and has to safeguard those who work in the industry.

Sharing the same idea, Vice President of Lodgis Hospitality Holdings Vietnam Craig Douglas added that Vietnam needs to take the opportunity to promote itself as a safe tourism corridor to attract tourists.

Kenneth Atkinson, vice president of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), underlined that Vietnam could learn from experiences of Australia, New Zealand and Thailand on creating specific resorts meeting anti-pandemic safety standards to accommodate international tourists.

Safety is of utmost priority for the tourism industry when it is re-opened to tourists, Nguyen Le Phuc, deputy general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), affirmed at the conference.

The conference entitled “Solutions promoting domestic tourism and recover international tourists” on May 21.

“To achieve this target, the industry could apply technology for controlling the pandemic. At this time, the VNAT is implementing a communication plan on safe tourist destinations to lure tourists,” Phuc added. “Travel businesses are encouraged to devise sets of criteria on the safety and safe tourist destinations by themselves as well as cooperate with each other for better promotion.”

Trinh Hong Quang, deputy CEO of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, added that local businesses should take advantage of Vietnam’s successful control against the Covid-19 pandemic to build new product packages that focuse on the safety of the tourists.

Since the social distancing order was loosened, travel businesses have offered in unison promotional programs to attract domestic travelers. However, local insiders commented that this is only a short-term solution. For long-term ones, it is important to lure foreign travelers due to their high spending and purchasing power.

Le Quang Tung, deputy minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, concluded that Vietnam needs to communicate the safe destination images to the world. In addition, businesses need to work together to develop and take advantage of opportunities to revive the Vietnamese tourism industry.

Gianh River, Quang Binh province. Photo: dimorua (Facebook)

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will, based on the collaboration with relevant agencies, build a schedule for reopening the industry, Tung said.

In the first four months of 2020, international arrivals to Vietnam plunged 37.8% year-on-year to 3.7 million, according to the General Statistics Office.

In April alone, the number of tourists fell 98.2% from a year earlier and 94.2% against March. The pandemic impacted on the whole tourism industry and its goal of welcoming about 20.5 million international visitors this year is highly unlikely.

The Hanoitimes – The revival of the aviation industry was a result of efforts by the government and the tourism industry to stimulate domestic travel.

With the social distancing orders loosened on April 23 after Covid-19 was contained, airports in Vietnam became busier in May, with air passengers jumping 14.3-fold from a month earlier to a total of 2.88 million.

Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Chart: Nhat Minh.

The revival of the aviation industry was a result of efforts by the government and the tourism industry to encourage businesses to offer promotional packages that stimulate the demand of domestic travelers while borders remain closed to foreigners.

However, compared to the May 2019, the number of passengers fell 70% due to the suspension of foreign entry and travel restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

In May, the number of international passengers dropped 97.6% year-on-year to just 78,000 while the number of Vietnamese passengers decreased by 56.6% to 2.8 million.

In particular, Vietnamese airlines transported 78,000 international passengers and 2.8 million domestic passengers in May.

Source: the CAAV. Chart: Nhat Minh.

On May 25, the government decided to issue e-visas for citizens of 80 countries from July 1. This would lay a foundation for welcoming foreign tourists again.

Vietnam is expected to be the first countries in the world to open up to foreign tourists, according to WeSwap, the UK’s largest P2P travel money provider.

Vietnam has had one of the lowest cases and death rates in the world, despite sharing a long border with China. The country has had just over 320 cases and zero deaths. It has gone 41 days without community infection as of May 26.