ONE STEP SLOW
Currently, many countries in the world have solutions to open tourism, such as Indonesia has chosen Bali to study the model of opening to international visitors, Thailand has chosen Phuket to be able to recover the tourism industry next July. More importantly, when the Covid-19 vaccine is widely injected, these countries, which are competitors of Vietnam tourism, are ready to open to visitors. This means that the opportunity for Vietnam tourism will decrease and it is unknown when our tourism industry will catch up, because the preparation will take at least a few months.
Currently, Vietnam is also implementing Covid-19 vaccination.
Meanwhile, if only domestic tourism is restored, it will be difficult to fully recover the tourism industry, especially tourism businesses, hotels... which have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, revenue from international visitors reached 18.3 billion USD, while the number of visitors only accounted for 1/5; and revenue from 85 million domestic visitors was only 14.5 billion. An international visitor to Vietnam spends an average of 1,000 USD, while a Vietnamese visitor only spends 170 USD. If the country opens its doors to international visitors, revenue will increase significantly.
It is a fact that international tourism cannot be restored without domestic tourism. Therefore, in terms of priority, international tourists are next. However, Vietnam needs to prepare soon. Singapore, although not yet open to visitors, has made detailed plans and itineraries to prepare to welcome visitors since December last year, which can be implemented immediately when needed.
VACCINE PASSPORTS ARE NOT THE ONLY WAY
Currently, Vietnam is also deploying vaccinations to over 37,000 people. That is the basis for Vietnam to start researching a roadmap to open its doors to international tourists with "vaccine passports". The application of "vaccine passports" as well as cooperation between countries will facilitate citizen travel, help economic recovery and this policy is receiving great consensus. This could be a solution to attract foreign visitors to Vietnam, helping the tourism industry overcome difficulties because tourists can come without having to be quarantined.
According to the Global Management Consulting Firm McKinsey & Company, despite creating a "cool breeze" thanks to domestic tourism, Vietnam will still have to depend on international markets, with a total spending of up to 12 billion USD. But how should we open the sky or welcome international tourists to ensure both epidemic prevention and economic development? What can we learn from countries in the region such as Thailand and Indonesia?
A representative of the General Department of Tourism said that in order to open the door to international visitors with a “vaccine passport”, there needs to be a pilot model, in which low-contact tourism types are selected, and participating businesses must have the capacity to ensure safety for both tourists and the community. Moreover, each country has a different opening plan based on the characteristics of its infrastructure and available conditions. In Vietnam, the opening roadmap will be a step-by-step pilot, not a massive opening. The opening will also be based on the type of tourism selected, with priority given to low-contact tourism.
Currently, the General Department has received a proposal from the Korean ambassador on a quarantine tour model combining health care and golf.
"Vaccine passports" would facilitate tourism and help economic recovery
In addition, the opening process will also select participating businesses with potential and capacity to implement safety procedures and handle incidents. In addition, there must be consensus with the locality, prepare infrastructure - coordinate with the Ministry of Health to deploy travel passes.
The representative of the General Department of Tourism also said that many people who hear about "vaccine passports" will immediately think that they have to go through additional procedures. However, it is necessary to understand that "vaccine passports" are travel cards to manage the health of people entering and leaving the country, enough for tourists to prove that they are healthy and do not carry infectious diseases.
WILL TOURISM OPEN FROM THE 3RD QUARTER?
According to Mr. To Viet Thang - Deputy General Director of Vietjet Air, this is the time for aviation and tourism to discuss solutions to bring international tourists back to Vietnam safely and promptly. The market to welcome tourists must ensure the best epidemic prevention safety, be approved by the Government, and have a two-way agreement on bringing and receiving tourists.
Ms. Tran Thi Nguyen, representative of Sun Group, said that the tourism industry is living on domestic tourism and this market still has a lot of room to exploit. However, the international tourist segment is still very important as more than 50% of revenue comes from this group of visitors. If Vietnam does not start soon, it will miss the opportunity to welcome visitors.
According to Ms. Nguyen, Phu Quoc is the "perfect" location to pilot the opening of international tourism, and then gradually open to other localities with good epidemic prevention records. In particular, this is also an opportunity for Phu Quoc to open up the Russian tourist market with "guests with high spending, like warm sunshine, do not travel much and stay for a long time."
"One of the reasons why Phuket or Bali attracts tourists is the visa exemption policy. Therefore, along with building a safe opening roadmap, Vietnam also needs to study visa policies," Ms. Nguyen suggested.
Phu Quoc is the "perfect" location to pilot the opening of international tourism.
Mr. Soo-Youn Cho, CEO of GAON travel, said that the demand of Koreans to travel to Vietnam is currently very large. "We are still maintaining one flight per week from Korea to Vietnam for experts, as well as transporting goods. If Vietnam has a roadmap to open the sky, Korean visitors to Phu Quoc will certainly increase rapidly," Mr. Soo-Youn Cho said, adding that Vietnam needs to consider suitable forms of tourism after the pandemic.
Previously, Koreans wanted to travel for short periods of about 3 days. However, tours will have to be longer, with large groups and highly private groups going to Vietnamese resorts to play golf, focusing on relaxation rather than exploration.
Mr. Phan Van Nghiep, Vice Chairman of Phu Quoc City People's Committee, said that the locality recently received a request from the Vietnamese Embassy in India about whether it is ready to welcome rich tourists from India or not. Currently, rich Indian tourists are very frustrated, they want to travel and choose Phu Quoc as their destination, which is a very real need.
"We are ready to welcome guests, but we have not yet figured out how to do it. Regardless of the method, international tours will be organized in a closed manner. Opening will also raise the question: What services will tourists use and how will it be closed? Currently, Phu Quoc is welcoming about 18,000 domestic visitors per day. Welcoming international visitors also needs to consider how to ensure the safety of domestic tourists," Mr. Nghiep expressed.
Through this, it can be seen that, although there are still certain risks, "vaccine passports" are a solution to open the door to welcome international tourists back to Vietnam in a controlled manner, with destinations selected for pilot testing appropriately.
