Vietnam declares reopening of Phu Quoc island at Global Tourism Forum

Vietnam is making great efforts to pilot a vaccine passport scheme to welcome back international visitors to Phu Quoc island, a top tourist resort in the south, in October.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Doan Van Viet addresses the event (Photo: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism )

Addressing the forum held in Indonesia on September 15 - 16, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Doan Van Viet made the announcement at the Global Tourism Forum 2021 held in Indonesia on September 15-16.

Viet emphasised that after a hiatus of the COVID-19 fight, the tourism industries of many ASEAN countries are now prepared for reopening and hope to stimulate international tourism demand in the near future.

He said the Vietnamese Government recently approved a pilot scheme aimed at welcoming international visitors back to Phu Quoc island in the southern province of Kien Giang,

At present, relevant ministries and agencies are putting the finishing touches to the scheme, toward reopening Vietnam’s international tourism markets, Viet said.

To ensure safety for vaccinated visitors, he said Kien Giang is speeding up vaccination for all residents and workers in the tourism industry on Phu Quoc islands before carrying out the pilot scheme in the coming days.

At the forum, representatives from various ASEAN member countries shared their beliefs about the resilience and recovery of the tourism industry of each country, along with the wider region in the post-pandemic period.

ASEAN member states will come together to share their experience in the related field to jointly revive the tourism industry in the region, said Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno. Indeed, countries within the bloc will not compete with each other but work together to create a common model to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

To achieve this goal, Minister Uno emphasised that ASEAN needs to strengthen intra-ASEAN co-operation, promote initiatives, and reactivate the local tourism industry.

He underlined the necessity of ensuring safety measures to minimise the spread of COVID-19, update information relating to the pandemic, vaccine programmes, and readiness levels of various destinations.

He noted that Indonesia will promote discussions on the ASEAN Tourism Corridor Framework Agreement (ATCAF), in the immediate future as a means of facilitating diplomatic purposes.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Viet suggested that ASEAN member states work closely to develop and deploy recovery plans, as well as standards and procedures for safety in ASEAN tourism in the post-pandemic period.

He also stressed the need to implement online promotional schemes for the ASEAN common destination.

The Deputy Minister  pointed out that countries need to share their experiences, strategies, and plans to restore the tourism industry in an open manner, while simultaneously strengthening the application of digital technology and innovation utilised by the tourism industry.

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