Safe travel opens opportunity for tourism recovery
VOV.VN - Many localities across the country have started to pilot a “travel bubble” model aimed at welcoming the return of tourists and accelerating travel recovery plans following a hiatus caused by the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Travel firms have initiated schemes to bring tourists back to ‘green’ areas which are free from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, allowing visitors to travel anywhere without the need to do any isolation measures.
Recently, Hanoitourist travel company held an inter-provincial tour, the first of its kind following the fourth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, to bring tourists from the capital to ‘green’ zones in its neighbouring province of Bac Giang. The visitors were all required to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic, and travel back and forth between ‘green’ zones only.
Meanwhile, other travel firms have devised plans to introduce new tourism products to meet people’s increasing travel demand at the end of the year, especially during the upcoming New Year and lunar New Year holidays.
In line with this, Ho Chi Minh City and provinces such as Bac Giang and Quang Binh are set to launch a “travel bubble” model, aligning products to the demand of travelers and the current situation.
As of late October, VietSense travel company is to introduce lunar New Year tours to discover the northwestern region, offering a 20% to 30% discount.
Fivestar Travel travel firm plans to debut caravan holidays in combination with trekking tourism products on routes Hanoi-Lang Son-Bac Giang from November 5 to November 7.
Cashing on the model, Vietravel firm has launched tours from Hanoi to ‘green’ zones in Ho Chi Minh City and other localities where the COVID-19 pandemic was basically been brought under control.
Nguyen Van Tai, director of VietSense company, suggests that localities should create favourable conditions in which travel firms can make use of unified pandemic prevention guidelines to ensure that inter-provincial tourism services return smoothly in the near future.
Localities should swiftly build a tourism map with clearly identified "green” zones which are allowed to welcome tourists, while announcing qualified accommodation and outlets in order to build safe tourism products, suggests Pham Duy Nghia, director of VietFoot Travel.
The COVID-19 pandemic poses many risks, meaning that the tourism sector must adapt to the new normal context in a safe and flexible manner which requires travel operators to follow the criteria set out by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, according to Vu The Binh, vice permanent chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association.
Safe tourism is viewed as a top priority for the tourism sector to gradually recover from the COVID-19 impact these days, says Binh.
