Ensure the safety of the people and tourists

Mr. Nguyen Luu Trung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Kien Giang province, said: “Pilot receiving international visitors is the right policy of the Party and Government. This will create opportunities for the recovery of Phu Quoc city as well as Kien Giang province in terms of tourism and socio-economic development. Phu Quoc city has great potential and strengths in many fields. Therefore, it is significantly invested by domestic and foreign corporations and businesses with many international tourism projects. After a period of temporary shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is also an opportunity to continue promoting the image of beautiful, modern, safe, and friendly Phu Quoc tourism with international tourists.

According to the People's Committee of Kien Giang province, the pilot scheme to welcome foreign arrivals to Phu Quoc must first ensure the absolute safety of people's health. Before piloting, all Phu Quoc residents, including workers working on the island, must inject 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to create antibodies. From the 1st to the 5th of October, Phu Quoc city launched a mass vaccination campaign against SARS-Cov-2 for its residents. Phu Quoc has also given the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to about 35% of the population and the second dose to 6% of the island's population. This is the largest vaccination campaign to achieve the goal that 100% of Phu Quoc people (within the prescribed age of vaccination) will receive 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It is expected that by the end of October 2021, the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be given for all people living and working on the island with about 150,000 permanent residents and over 19,000 temporary residents.

Mr. Bui Quoc Thai, Director of the Department of Tourism of Kien Giang province, said “It is expected that from November 1st to November 10th, Kien Giang province will pilot picking up guests safely from the airport to the hotel before officially welcoming international guests to Phu Quoc city after November 10th. In the pilot phase, we only receive tourists through package tours organized by travel agencies and international tourists have to enter Phu Quoc city by air, through charter flights or commercial flights, etc. Furthermore, Kien Giang province plans to choose 7 businesses in Phu Quoc owning 14 4-5 star standard hotels with 8,000 rooms to serve international guests in the pilot phase. Currently, employees of these businesses have been fully vaccinated with 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine”.

According to Mr. Thai, welcoming international visitors helps tourism-related services and tourism real estate become hot again as employees can go to work and many industries are restored. As a result, this will increase the state budget and generate revenue for businesses that are facing difficulties due to the prolonged pandemic. Besides, an emerging challenge is that the mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 is very unpredictable and complicated. Moreover, there is currently no COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12-17. Furthermore, if the COVID-19 pandemic breaks out in Phu Quoc, the city will face great challenges as health facilities for quarantine, treatment, and sample collections of clinical specimens for COVID-19 testing are still limited. Therefore, it is necessary to have many preventive plans, to ensure strict implementation of the pilot process to welcome visitors in accordance with regulations.

Businesses are ready

After a long time of “hibernation” because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the people working in the tourism sector in Phu Quoc island all miss their jobs and tourists. They are actively preparing facilities, human resources, health, and safety before welcoming international guests. The Chairman of the Tourism Association of Kien Giang province, Tran Quoc Khanh said that many large projects of Vingroup and Sungroup have just opened recently, attracting a large number of visitors who want to travel and relax here, especially international tourists. With the available potentials, he believes that this will create more attraction for the tourism of “Pearl Island”.

To prepare for welcoming international visitors, Vina Phu Quoc Travel has learned and cooperated with many suppliers and digital transformation companies. In addition, the employees of the company also learn many new models online, especially creating a product chain that can be sold automatically. Mr. Nguyen Vu Khac Huy, Director of Vina Phu Quoc Travel Company, said that the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic heavily damaged tourism businesses in Phu Quoc as well as in Vietnam. The return of tourists is the driving force to help businesses, travel agencies “recover”. “We are very pleased that Phu Quoc is about to be piloted to welcome international visitors. This is considered an effective vaccine to excite our employees, waiting for the day to go back to work” - Mr. Huy said.

To prepare for the return of international guests, Kim Hoa Resort (Area 7, Duong Dong Ward) is repairing and renovating the resort in terms of the landscape, facilities, etc. At the same time, Kim Hoa Resort develop a set of customer service procedures suitable to the new situation. After a long break from the pandemic, many employees, even though they miss their jobs very much, still could not return in time due to the situation of social distancing in many localities. Kim Hoa Resort General Manager Bui Ang Van said: “we will have to recruit 40% of new employees. Therefore, at the moment we are building a plan to train new staff and ensure top-quality service to visitors. Currently, we are working with the bank for preferential loans. This is a good solution to get operating funds for the pilot phase of welcoming international tourists”.

Mr. Tran Quoc Vuong, Director of Saigon Phu Quoc Resort & Spa, also said: “Saigon Phu Quoc Resort & Spa has instructed and trained staff to strictly follow the 5K message as well as COVID-19 prevention and control measures. Specifically, we instruct customers to strictly follow the 5K message as well as COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the reception hall. We prepare a shuttle bus with a plastic protective screen between the driver and the guest. The resort also is equipped with a monitor for body temperature check-ups, disinfectants. To ensure maximum safety for visitors, we change the room hours and rearrange the resort campus scientifically and reasonably. Currently, all the staff members in the resort have been vaccinated with 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. We can't wait to welcome back tourists after a long hiatus. With the return of guests, we will generate revenue and create jobs for employees. Along with that, other services will be back to normal. As a result, the Phu Quoc tourism market will be hustle and bustle again”.

Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh, Chairman of the Tourism Association of Kien Giang province, said: “The situation of COVID-19 pandemic in many places is still complicated and unpredictable. Therefore, the process of opening the door to welcome guests needs to take place with a roadmap. Moreover, we aim at high-class tours or group tours. Small travel companies face many difficulties after a long period of inactivity or in moderation, needing time to recover. Around December 2021, when it is the year-end tourist season, if the situation is better, Phu Quoc will be able to receive tourists more openly”.

To prepare for tourism recovery in the new normal, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has issued a Plan regarding the implementation of policies to stimulate demand and quickly restart the tourism market. The plan focuses on 6 key tasks and solutions, including strengthening communication and promotion for key international markets. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also coordinated with relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to develop a plan to welcome international tourists in stages in accordance with the situation and results of pandemic prevention and control of Vietnam, as well as of other countries.