Dang Minh Truong, chairman of Sun Group, which has a number of luxury hotels and resorts across Vietnam, said the tourism industry would continue to face challenges this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic but everything would gradually be better as the country has changed its strategy from zero-Covid cases to living safely with the pandemic.

Foreign tourists sail kayak on Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Province.

His company has upgraded all its hotels, resorts and amusement parks across the country, developed new tourism products and strengthened pandemic prevention measures, he said.

This year it plans to invest in more amusement parks and luxury accommodation since domestic and international tourism is gradually recovering, he said.

Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, deputy marketing head of major travel firm Vietravel, said his this year company would prioritize resumption of domestic tourism and receiving tourists from Northeast Asia and Russia.

It also plans to start outbound tours this month to Thailand, Dubai, Europe, and the U.S. where Vietnamese are exempt from quarantine requirements, he said.

Pham Ha, chairman of Lux Group, which specializes in luxury cruises, said the segment has huge potential and his company plans to launch a series of new tours this year targeting domestic tourists.

Since last month three of his company’s cruise ships in Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay off Hai Phong City and Nha Trang have been fully booked on weekends and for the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays in February.

Nguyen Chau A, CEO of Oxalis Adventure, a company that takes people on cave tours in the central province of Quang Binh, said he has high hopes for tourism revival this year.

He said his company would focus on the domestic tourism market since the pandemic still limits foreign travel.

In the last two years it has taken over 10,000 Vietnamese tourists to Son Dong, the world’s largest cave, and the tour is already almost fully booked for this year, he said.

It has started preparing for an international promotion campaign in 2023, and at the end of January will organize a tour for a team from BBC coming to film in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

Ha said Lux Group’s 2022 target is to achieve 50 percent of 2019 revenues.

Vietnam reopened its doors to foreign tourists in November after nearly two years.

In the month since then over 3,500 foreign visitors have come on package tours, Nguyen Trung Khanh, head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said.

The country expects to get five million foreign visitors under the vaccine passport program in 2022.

Culture-tourism village to celebrate New Year 2022 with jubilant activities

Jubilant celebration activities will be held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in the Dong Mo Tourism Area in Son Tay Town, Hanoi, from January 1-3, 2022, to welcome in New Year 2022.

Phu Quoc welcomes 210 Uzbek tourists with vaccine passports

210 tourists from Uzbekistan landed at Phu Quoc Airport in the southern province Kien Giang Saturday on a nine-day tour under the ongoing vaccine passport trial program.

Vietnamese chess players named runners up at world youth tour

Nguyen Hong Nhung and Bach Ngoc Thuy Duong finished second at the Girls U16 and U18 Super Final of FIDE Online Cadets and Youth Rapid on Wednesday.

Bac Giang sports ready for upcoming tournaments

(BGO) - In 2021, due to complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, many international, regional and national sports tournaments had to be suspended and training was interrupted. Overcoming difficulties, the coaches and athletes Bac Giang province are trying their best to practice and strive for the best results in the 2022 tournaments.

Bac Giang approves for detail plan of Khuon Than urban, sport ecotourism complex

(BGO) – The People’s Committee in Bac Giang province has issued Decision to approve for the detail plan of Khuon Than urban, sport ecotourism complex in Kien Lao commune, Luc Ngan district.

Source: VnExpress