Destination digest: Vietnam news in brief
There’s plenty of good news coming out of Vietnam at the moment. Here are a few stories making the headlines:
VNAT in the running for Asia’s Leading Tourist Board
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) is calling for votes for the country in the 2023 World Travel Awards, which turn 30 this year. The voting, at www.worldtravelawards.com, for the Asian and Oceania regions has been opened and will last through 23 July, the VNAT said on 22 February. Among the 13 categories Vietnam has been nominated for, the VNAT is a nominee for the title of Asia’s Leading Tourist Board.
(source: Vietnam Plus)
Vietnam tourism bouncing back in 2023
Despite slowing trade, there are still pockets of resilience in Vietnam’s economy. Tourism will be a key one in 2023, HSBC says in a report. In its Vietnam at a glance report on tourism to the partial rescue released early this week, it said the country’s domestic tourism had been roaring, but international tourism, which historically accounted for 60% of tourism receipts, saw a tepid recovery.
(source: The Star)
Partnerships helping to boost Vietnam tourism
VinWonders and Sun World, two leading theme park brands in Vietnam, have partnered with Klook, a leading travel and leisure app in Asia-Pacific, to promote inbound tourism in Vietnam. Through digital marketing campaigns, the two hope to increase the awareness among the tourists, especially free independent travellers (FIT), of Vietnam’s outstanding destinations.
Cruise tourism on the rise in Vietnam
Spectrum of the Seas, the world’s most luxurious cruise ship, docked at Phu My Port in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Sunday, carrying 3,500 foreign tourists. The tourists from Europe and the United States visited Ho Phap Pagoda, Hoa Long Market and ancient houses in Vung Tau beach town before leaving for Ho Chi Minh City where they joined cooking classes, rode bikes through rubber forests and took an underground tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Panorama Destination Vietnam: our journey to the New Normal
For most of 2020 and early 2021, Vietnam remained virtually free of Covid-19. This was because the country was quick to impose border restrictions and quarantines, deploying intensive contact tracing teams where needed and imposing localised lockdowns to keep the virus at bay.
With consistently low cases and a speedy response to new infections, the country was ranked in the top three out of almost 100 countries graded by the official Lowy Institute Covid Performance Index, which assessed the overall success and efficiency of each nation’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, Vietnam was one of only a handful of countries worldwide to register economic growth (2.9%).
However, the emergence of the Delta virus in May 2021 pushed the country’s capabilities to their limit. The government issued strict stay-at-home orders in major cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The situation then improved, and the country fully reopened its tourism infrastructure from 15 March 2022.
On 27 April 2022 Vietnam scrapped the need for medical declarations from foreign entrants. Then, on 15 May, Vietnam officially ended the requirement for PCR tests prior to departure, meaning travellers could finally enter Vietnam without testing.
The Panorama Destination Vietnam office has been put into ‘hibernation’ until further notice, but is expected to resume operations in the near future. We are working closely with local officials and international governing bodies to ensure the safety of Panorama Destination clients returning to Vietnam in the months ahead.
We have already introduced a set of health and safety protocols based on a dedicated Covid-19 policy and continue to work alongside other DMCs in Southeast Asia, to ensure safe and standardised services for all returning visitors.
Panorama Destination will continue to provide the latest breaking news regarding tourism in Vietnam via our social media channels:
