The COVID-19 pandemic has caused international aviation to be almost paralysed for a long time. After the pandemic, there are still regulations related to immigration and aviation that affect the tourism industry. Recently, Lam Dong province held a meeting to remove obstacles affecting flight operations and offer solutions to attract tourists via air.
According to Deputy Director of Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, at present, Lien Khuong Airport is operating five domestic routes to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Vinh (Nghe An), Hai Phong and three international routes to Bangkok (Thailand), Incheon (the Republic of Korea), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), piloting several international charter flights for tourism.
In the first three months of 2023, the total number of tourists to the locality reached more than 2.1 million, an increase of nearly 37% compared to the same period in 2022. Of which, international visitors were about 39,000, an increase of 1,676%.
Lam Dong strives to welcome more than 6.5 million visitors by 2023, including more than 250,000 international visitors.
Domestic and international airlines have affirmed the effectiveness of the route to Lien Khuong Airport, for tourism development.
However, the development of the tourist market and the exploitation of international visitors through Lien Khuong Airport, have not been satisfactory.
According to the Director of Vietravel Da Lat branch Le Tang Trong Nghia, for international routes through Lien Khuong Airport to operate effectively and sustainably, it is necessary to have a policy of tripartite cooperation (airline, travel agencies and locality) on promotion policy. Vietravel is ready to participate when it has full information about routes and pricing policies of airlines, Nghia said.
Lien Khuong Airport’s equipment is not synchronised (there is no scanner to detect fake documents), the transmission line at the airport is not stable and there is no isolation area for guests.
In addition, Lien Khuong has not been recognised as an international airport, so it is not equipped with an electronic visa processing system (evisa).
Deputy Director of Lien Khuong Airport Van Bach Anh Tuan admitted, that it has not been recognized as an international airport, leading to facilities and some mechanisms not meeting the needs of immigration, customs, and healthcare.
He suggested that the province should propose to the Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, to promote the recognition of Lien Khuong as an international airport, and then these issues will be gradually resolved.
Noting the comments of airlines and travel and tourism businesses, the Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee Pham S, highly appreciated the contributions of the units and wished to strengthen cooperation in exploiting flight routes, and attracting tourists to Da Lat-Lam Dong.
To attract tourists, the Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee assigned relevant departments, branches and localities, to perform the function of state management, strengthen coordination and connection between airlines and travel agencies, attract tourists via air, overcome difficulties in flight operations and ensure security and order and flight safety.
Bao Van and Le Hoa - Translated by NDO
