Representatives from major businesses in aviation, travel, and hospitality as well as industry experts sought ways to promote domestic tourism and restart the international tourism market post-COVID-19 at a conference in Hanoi on May 21.

A tourist site in Quang Nam province (Photo: VNA) 

Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Trung Khanh said that to stimulate domestic tourism, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has initiated a programme that encourages Vietnamese to travel to local destinations.

 He highlighted the significance of sound connectivity between localities, travel companies, and hotels in this regard, saying it is a suitable time for groups and businesses to prove their leading role.

 Vietnam has been lauded by international media for its success in containing the pandemic, Khanh said, calling for efforts to optimise the opportunity to promote Vietnam’s image and its tourism overseas.

 With two sessions, the conference also looked into feasible tourism opportunities in promising markets after the pandemic fully passes.

 Participants proposed Governments, ministries, and agencies consider policies regarding reopening the country to foreign visitors at an appropriate time and resuming certain air routes.

 Bolstering domestic tourism during the upcoming summer holidays and working on a roadmap to reopen to international holidaymakers, initially those from countries and territories that have contained the disease, are the best options to recover the tourism industry, according to VNAT.