Thai newspaper delves into Vietnam’s tourism recovery efforts
The Bangkok Post on May 10 published an article titled “Vietnam reimagines tourism” discussing the Vietnamese tourism sector’s efforts to respond to COVID-19 impact.
Bangkok (VNA) – The Bangkok Post on May 10 publishedan article titled “Vietnam reimagines tourism” discussing the Vietnamesetourism sector’s efforts to respond to COVID-19 impact.
The author, Pattama Kuentak, described Vietnam as rich inhistory, vibrant in culture and cuisine, with striking landscapes frommountains in the North to beaches along the coast. The nation has become one ofthe favourite destinations in Southeast Asia.
According to the article, prior to the pandemic, in 2019,the country welcomed a record 18 million foreign visitors and generated totalrevenue of 32.8 billion USD from both domestic and international tourists.
However, tourism in Vietnam was put on pause in March lastyear when COVID-19 emerged. The government moved quickly to close borders andban international flights. Its decisive responses have paid off, as the countryso far has recorded only 35 deaths from just over 3,000 coronavirus cases, andits economy shows the most promising signs in the region.
The article cited recent figures from the General StatisticsOffice of Vietnam, which showed that revenue from tourism in the first quarterof this year totaled 1.34 million USD, down 60.1 percent year-on-year. Thenumber of tourists from travel agencies was 3.7 million, down 80.1 percent,while international arrivals decreased 78.7 percent.
The sharp decline in the numbers of both domestic andinternational travellers has sent ripple effects through the accommodation,food and beverage service sectors, causing a significant loss in revenue to 258million USD, down by 43.2 percent.
The majority of international tourists in Vietnam come fromAsian economies including Japan, China, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan (China), accounting foraround 80 percent of foreign tourism spending, according to a recent McKinseyand Company report entitled "Reimagining tourism: How Vietnam can acceleratetravel recovery".
The report suggested that with a strong zero-case-firstapproach to COVID-19, a resilient local market as well as proactive tourismcampaigns from the government, the sector should be able to recover topre-crisis levels in 2024./.
It’s fair to say that 2020 was a challenging year for Vietnam’s tourism sector, but it wasn’t an unmitigated disaster. Analysts have said that COVID-19 created a turning point for both local and international tourism, requiring travel companies study and craft a new future for their business.
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Vietnam needs to research solutions and prepare all necessary conditions to open border for foreign tourists from July 2021, according to Nguyen Huu Tho, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association.
Although the domestic tourism is bouncing back, travel agencies still emphasise the need to open border for tourists from certain countries to reboot the industry.
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In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
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Golden bridge in Da Nang city (Photo:VNA) 
