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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 – Hotels in Quang Ninh province were over crowded over the weekend.

The Vietnamese government is considering reopening to foreign tourists as the country and the world enter a new normalcy driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting with key leaders of Quang Ninh province on May 24.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses at a meeting with key leaders of Quang Ninh province. Photo: VGP

Phuc also asked other localities across the country to strongly promote and prepare all conditions for welcoming domestic travelers in the time ahead.

In the context of the pandemic.

Welcoming back foreign tourists should be prepared with a focus on the safety of tourists, said experts in the field. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will submit a schedule for re-starting inbound tourism in the coming time.

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.

At the meeting on socio-economic restoration measures of Quang Ninh province in the post-Covid-19 period, the prime minister praised the encouraging restart of the province’s tourism industry with a focus on domestic travelers. Depending greatly on the tourism industry, the province suffered a great loss due to the pandemic.

PM Phuc said he was impressed witnessing the large turnout of domestic tourists to Quang Ninh province almost immediately after the province, home to the UNESCO-recognized heritage Ha Long Bay, reopened for tourists. On May 23 alone, roughly 11,000 people visited the bay.

A resort in Cam Pha City, Quang Ninh province.

In the first months of the year, the province has managed to maintain production and social order as well as perform the dual goal of fighting the disease and ensuring economic development. This year, the province aims its economy to grow 12%.

Quang Ninh has become a strong and comprehensive growth pole in the Northeast of the country. However, the prime minister asked the provincial authorities should not rest on the laurel and be vigilant, especially as the pandemic is still evolving unpredictably worldwide.

The Hanoitimes – According to the survey, 52% of Vietnamese travelers have already considered booking somewhere to stay in order to work from a different destination, while 57% would be willing to quarantine if they could work remotely.

A recently survey conducted by Booking.com showed that workcation looks set to form a key part of people future travels, at least for the next couple of years.

‘Workation’, as the word suggests, is ‘Work’ + ‘Vacation’ and involves working away from office, blending leisure with business. While not a completely new concept, it seems to garner the attention of travelers worldwide since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year that meant working from home was the new normal.

Post Covid-19 pandemic: Remote working is becoming a likely long-term reality as health and safety is a top priority. Photo: Booking.com.

According to the survey, 52% of Vietnamese travelers have already considered booking somewhere to stay in order to work from a different destination, while 57% would be willing to quarantine if they could work remotely.

“Remote working is becoming a likely long-term reality as health and safety is a top priority in the current environment,” Anthony Lu, Regional Director, Vietnam at Booking.com said.

He also predicts that instead of hotel, more work-friendly  accommodation alternatives, like homes and apartments will be on high demand by for both business and leisure travelers who are looking to work remotely.

In addition, more and more travelers think that having relaxing  while during a business trip is an essential, especially on the “new normal” of working  after Covid-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, 58% of Vietnamese travelers on the survey said they would take the opportunity to extend any business trip so that they could schedule some leisure time. Many are also likely to add a week or two to their holiday in order to work remotely.

More comfortable workspaces with fewer interruptions give individuals more time to focus and be more productive in their work, while also travelling and unwinding to improve their wellbeing. Photo: Booking.com.

Although working from one’s own home has its perks in the coming time, people still want to book somewhere to stay for a welcome change of scenery.

Laptops become the newest travel necessity of 2021, with 61% agreeing that due to the increase in working from home and reliance on technology, business travel will be considered less essential than before. Instead, “workation” may become more prevalent and preferable.

These travelers are mostly looking for accommodation that has home office facilities, fast WiFi and most importantly, a spectacular view or cozy area to help make the workday fly by. Good health and safety precautions at each destination is again a top priority. It is tough to focus on work if our mind is caught up with safety or security concerns around the property.

“There is always a way to jazz up work and yet achieve your travel passion, now more than ever. Travelers could now set themselves free from the long-working time of nine hours for five consecutive days at the office because they can work from anywhere,” experts from Booking.com said.

The Hanoitimes – Prior to the pandemic, the city’s tourism had set the target of welcoming over 23 million domestic tourists, a year-on-year increase of 8%.

Hanoi’s tourism authorities will focus on attracting domestic travelers in post-Covid-19 as the country is still cautious about reopening borders to foreign tourists.

Temple of Literature. Photo: Vietnamoimoi

As tourism has become a driving force of the local economy, the city’s tourism authorities would step up efforts to stimulate domestic tourism from now until the end of the year, according to Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Tran Duc Hai.

The city targets to welcome 10-11 million domestic tourists in the remaining months of 2020, higher than the same period of 2019, according to the department. However, it seems to be an ambitious plan.

Tourist attractions in the city have reopened doors to visitors for a few days. However, the flow of tourists is equivalent to just 20% of the pre-pandemic level.

In the first four months of 2020, tourist arrivals to Hanoi plunged 59.2% year-on-year to 3.89 million, causing tourism revenues to fall 53.2% to VND15.83 trillion (US$675.72 million).

During the January – April period, the number of domestic tourists to Hanoi stood at 2.92 million, down 59.5% year-on-year, while the number of foreign tourists to the city fell 58.2% to a mere 964,500. In April alone, tourist arrivals in Hanoi fell 98.4% year-on-year to more than 35,500, leading to a 98.3% year-on-year decrease in tourism revenue to VND143 billion (US$6.1 million).

Source: the Hanoi Department of Tourism. Chart: Nhat Minh

The city’s tourism reactivation will go hand in hand with ensuring safety for visitors in the new normal, Hai said. A number of programs will be rolled out in response to the national program “Vietnamese People Travel in Vietnam” launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The city’s tourism sector will focus on building Hanoi into an attractive destination with the motto “safe – friendly – quality – attractive” as well as provide guidelines on reopening procedures to places of interest so as to comply with the preventive measures against Covid-19.

For the recovery of the local tourism industry, the sector focuses on rebates and demand stimulation while still ensuring quality and diversification of tourism products. The city’s tourism authorities have identified cultural tourism as an advantage. My Duc and Ba Vi districts will be developed into cultural tourism destinations of the city.

Before the pandemic, the city’s tourism industry set plan to welcome nearly 32 million arrivals, up 10.2% compared to 2019, including over 23 million domestic tourists, a year-on-year increase of 8%. Tourism revenue for this year is set at VND120 trillion (US$5.14 billion) in revenue, up 12.3% – 15.5% compared to 2019.

In 2019, the tourism sector grossed over VND103.8 trillion (US$4.48 billion), up 34% compared to 2018.

The Hanoitimes – This is the first time a Vietnamese airline operated a direct commercial flight to the US.

Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, has operated the first direct flight to the US to repatriate its citizens after days of waiting for the license by American authorities.

Vietnam Airlines aircraft at San Fransisco International Airport on May 8. Photo: SFO

San Fransisco International Airport wrote on its Facebook “Today is a historic day at SFO as we welcomed the very first Vietnam Airlines passenger flight to the United States. This repatriation flight is being operated on one of Vietnam Airlines new Boeing 787-10 aircraft. SFO is proud to welcome this special flight!”

Passengers landed in Vietnam on May 8. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Flight VN01 from San Fransisco to Hanoi carrying more than 340 Vietnamese nationals landed in Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on May 8 evening.

The returning people include children under 18, elderly, peope with critical diseases, and students whose dormitories closed due to the pandemic.

Passengers arrived in Van Don airport. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

On the way to the US, the airline brought back a number of American nationals.

Passengers check in at San Fransisco International Airport . Photo: Vietnam Airlines

This was the first direct commercial flight to the US carried out by a Vietnamese airline with a distance of 25,000 km flown in 33 hours.

Crewmembers for the flight . Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines said it used its most modern aircraft, Boeing 787-10, and a group of 28 crewmembers (eight pilots, 16 attendants, two technicians, and two ground staff), doubling that for a flight. The experienced pilots were those who flew Vietnam Airlines’ first Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 airplanes to Vietnam from the US in 2015 and 2019.

General Director of Vietnam Airlines Duong Tri Thanh. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

General Director of Vietnam Airlines Duong Tri Thanh met the crewmember before the flight and wished them a safe flight.

Before, Vietnam Airlines, at a request by the government of Vietnam, had taken dozens of flights to repatriate nearly 2,000 of Vietnamese citizens.

Vietnam Airlines has been mulling over direct commercial flights to the US. The airline representatives said it’s totally capable of making the flights but economic feasibility remains the biggest challenge.