The Covid-19 outbreaks have hit the tourism industry especially hard. Travel firms are looking forward to the new vaccine passport, which they believe could save the industry.

Tour guides are subject to the Government’s VND26 trillion support package which aims to help Covid-19-hit businesses and people. However, unclear requirements have may have caused the package to be inaccessible to thousands of tour guides.

For over the past year, one of the largest 5-star hotels in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, has been used as a quarantine site for visitors who enter Vietnam by air. 

A vaccine passport is a new concept mentioned by many countries to open borders.

Hanoi is striving for over 15 million domestic tourists in 2021, equal to 70 percent of that in 2019 and but two times higher than that in 2020, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

Dire statistics for the first half of 2021 point to tens of thousands of tourism businesses in Vietnam facing the risk of permanent closure if the sector does not receive timely financial support policies.

Vietnam recorded over 88,200 international visitors in the first half of 2021, plunging 97.6 percent year on year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said on June 29.

On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam directed ministries and sectors to promptly reduce difficulties for tourism businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quang Ninh once again has had to close the door to fight the pandemic after just half a month of opening to travelers. Localities have had to change their tourism development plans regularly.

Boats are anchored ashore, buses are resting at parking yards, and hotels and restaurants are closing their doors. On Ly Son Island in Quang Ngai province, there are no tourists.

The fourth wave of COVID-19 infections in Vietnam has caused disruptions to most sectors once again as the country was preparing for the tourism season.

Tourism businesses should be flexible to foster domestic travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic, experts have said.

Businesses have sustained a new blow from the fourth recurrence of Covid-19.

Many luxury hotels remain deserted with no foreign guests during Covid-19 and, as a result, hoteliers have slashed room rates to survive the difficult period.

Vietnam is considering piloting vaccine passports at tourist sites and some golf courses, according to Dr. Dang Quang Tan, director of the Preventive Medicine Department at the Ministry of Health.

The tourism industry is facing post-pandemic recovery challenges, but "virtual tourism" may be a new direction to open up breakthrough opportunities.

Travel firms have been advised to focus on the domestic market for the immediate time. However, they also need to draw up new strategies and new programs to conquer this group of travelers.

In recent talks with VietNamNet, Dr. Nguyen Duc Kien - Head of Economic Advisory Group to the Prime Minister - said the pandemic battle and mass media communications have to be adjusted to support economic development.

Vietnam will pilot receiving foreign tourists from some countries from July.

The beautiful images featured in the virtual exhibition entitled the “Wonders of Vietnam” have officially appeared on the Google Art and Culture Library (Google Arts & Culture), delighting many people who love travel.