Travel firms look forward to safe tourism map of Vietnam

Trang An Landscape Complex in Ninh Binh province is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Vietnam. (Photo courtesy of baodautu.vn)

Both businesses and potential travelers have been confused during each COVID-19 outbreak, according to a report in Dau Tu (Investment) newspaper. 

When a case of infection appears, customers are often confused since information, even about one COVID-19 case in quarantine, often floods media and social media. 

“When Hanoi was said to have several COVID-19 infected cases, many tourists immediately cancelled their tours as they thought this was not a safe destination. This huge city, in fact, has many other safe places to go,” the chairman of Vietravel Holdings, Nguyen Quoc Ky, said.

A safe tourism map is very much needed to inform locals of safe places to visit. This enhances tourists’ confidence when traveling to a destination while preventing false rumours about the disease.

Travel service operators will also be supported as they have better control and no longer have to worry about changing their plans at the last minute.

They will be able to save costs and maintain cash flow. 

A green economy can “live with the pandemic” when customers are assured of quality services and travel businesses have better control of their operation.

Chairman of Lux Group Pham Ha said that some European countries have built tourism digital maps with information necessary for travelers to draft their plans.

Vietnam’s safe tourism map is a digital map with COVID-19 related information across all provinces and cities. 

With a software application on a smartphone, travelers are able to check whether their destinations are safe enough to visit at the time being.

Ha added that the safe tourism map provides travel agencies with opportunities to “go bolder” with their travel products.

The map can be uploaded on a website, presented in a mobile application, or integrated in the Safe Vietnam Tourism application created by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, launched on October 10, 2020.

“The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control should update information about the pandemic on the map or authorise a special unit such as the Ministry of Health," Ky said.

This map is similar to the warning map of forest fires of the forest ranger. It can incorporate information of visitor density in certain areas to avoid further crowds.

Many travel firms agree that the map is crucial when the market reopens.