Actively preparing scenarios for reopening

How does the recovery scheme affect the overall attraction of tourists into Vietnam?

Dang Minh Truong, chairman of the board and general director of Sun Group

Other countries that are using vaccine passports to reopen tourism are also piloting with an isolated destination. Phu Quoc appeals to travellers from around the world with its beautiful beaches and aquatic life. The island also boasts many 5-star hotels and resorts as well as world-class entertainment complexes.

Visitors to Phu Quoc during the pilot period would be there for the long stay, using charter flights and high-quality infrastructure and services. If the pilot programme to welcome international tourists with vaccine passports to Phu Quoc succeeds, this could be the foundation for Vietnam to expand more safe zones and develop other recovery scenarios.

We believe that the pilot plan has been carefully evaluated and considered by the government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and related ministries and agencies.

What scenarios and promotional campaigns has Sun Group built to attract travellers?

Sun Group is ready to participate in the pilot plan to welcome travellers with vaccine passports. All of our resorts are managed by leading names in hospitality, with extensive hands-on experience in deploying vaccine passports around the world. This will enable us to establish safe pick-up and transport processes with international standards, fully meeting the requirements of the pilot programme.

We also take advantage of social distancing by focusing on renovating and renewing hotels and amusement parks across the country. The New World Phu Quoc resort has been put into operation recently, increasing the number of rooms as well as diversifying types of rooms to be able to serve more guests. Sun Group also trains and improves the quality of its human resources, while investing in new and attractive products and services in projects and entertainment complexes.

Wellness retreat packages are introduced at hotels. We also cooperate with airlines and strategic travel partners to promote the tourism ecosystem of Sun Group. In addition, we are rushing to apply technology in the process of upgrading hotels and resorts. There, we aim to minimise contact through zero-touch or one-touch services, catching up with new tourism trends. We hope that this will be a solid foundation for Sun Group to contribute to the overall success of the pilot programme to welcome fully vaccinated tourists to Phu Quoc.

How long will it take for tourism businesses to fully recover?

It is difficult to say exactly how long it will take for businesses to recover from the severe damage caused by the pandemic. Preparing a willing spirit with flexible response scenarios is the best way to live with the coronavirus. Sun Group already has this mindset. We believe that the tourism industry will make strong strides in the coming time, and domestic tourism will remain the main market.

In 2020, as we had almost no international visitors, the number of domestic tourists reached 56 million, equalling about 66 per cent of the number in 2019. Many studies on global tourism have also shown that on-site, close-to-home, and domestic tourism offer visitors a sense of security.

What policy support do tourism businesses need from the state to facilitate the reopening of the market?

We hope that localities and tourist destinations in the country – such as Danang, Phu Quoc, Hue, Hoi An, and Halong – proactively propose policies to further accelerate vaccination to create herd immunity and give priority to workers in the tourism industry.

This is crucial to be able to reopen domestic tourism and realise the pilot vaccine passport programme, as well as other plans in the future.

We also hope that Vietnam soon has a unified process to welcome international tourists with streamlined procedures, thereby creating the most comfortable and pleasant experience for visitors, while removing difficulties for businesses in management.

Sun Group also hopes that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and local authorities organise marketing campaigns to promote Vietnam to international markets and introduce the country as a safe destination with flexible vaccine passport policies to attract tourists.

In addition, we also hope that local authorities will organise stimulus programmes with the participation of many tourism businesses to attract visitors from key markets.