Phu Quoc resort paradise prepared to receive vaccinated visitors
VOV.VN - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has directed the implementation of a pilot scheme aimed at attracting international tourists to Phu Quoc island between now and the end of the year, with the project potentially welcoming between two and three million foreign arrivals.
According to tourism experts, the PM’s direction is expected to revive the local tourism industry which has been bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This move comes after the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism received consultation from relevant ministries and agencies regarding the pilot plan.
It is anticipated that during the first phase of the pilot scheme, which lasts three months, Phu Quoc, regarded as a resort paradise in southern Vietnam, will receive between 2,000 to 3,000 visitors each month via charter flights in a limited number of locations.
Moving into the second phase, which also lasts for three months, the island will host 5,000 to 10,000 visitors per month. Passengers will be picked up via commercial flights and experience Phu Quoc on a larger scale.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism expects to welcome between 25,000 and 40,000 international tourists to Phu Quoc during the six-month pilot period.
Visitors will come from markets with high tourism potential and epidemic safety, including from regions such as Northeast Asia, Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and Australia.
As regulated, they must have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine recognised by Vietnamese authorities. The second dose must be injected at least 14 days before entry and no more than 12 months before arrival.
Moreover, visitors with a certificate showing COVID-19 recovery and those who have been discharged less than 12 months will also be allowed to enter Phu Quoc.
All tourists must test negative for COVID-19 before entering Vietnam via the PCR method.
Guests must also register to participate in a package tour programme by a travel firm selected by the Ministry and Kien Giang province that hosts Phu Quoc island.
Hoang Nhan Chinh, secretary of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), said that TAB's research team have recently proposed a pilot "Green Pass" scheme to reopen the country to the international market, noting that the reopening should be deployed in a scientific and safe way.
This will ultimately be dependent on the vaccination coverage, the readiness of the Government, and local businesses, he said.
