Vietnam and Mekong countries cooperate in promoting sustainable tourism

Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu speaking at the event

The statement was made by Ha Van Sieu, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), while attending the virtual Destination Mekong Summit which was held on August 25.

While updating the participants on measures to support people and tourism businesses who are affected by Covid-19, the VNAT Deputy General Director said that Vietnamese Government has promptly promulgated policies on providing exemptions or reducing a number of taxes for enterprises.

The Government also ordered a reduction in electricity prices, interest and allowing debt restructuring, as well as take-off and landing fares and flight operation service fees for departures and arrivals of domestic flights.

Regarding the tourism sector in particular, the Government regulated a 50% decrease in a number of fees regarding travel services including the appraisal and issuance of licenses to international and domestic travel services as well as the issuance of tour guide certificates. A 20% cut is also available to hotels which register to become isolation areas.

Under the theme of “Balanced Tourism Recovery for a Better Future”, the summit was hosted by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) at a time when the Covid-19 epidemic has posed significant impacts on tourism activities in the region and the world in general.

It aimed to give actionable insights and steps for businesses operations in the member countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) to achieve resilience and tourism recovery.

The event attracted representatives from national tourism agencies of GMS countries, including Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as leaders of the world’s leading travel organisations including CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Gloria Guevara, former UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai, and CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Mario Hardy.

The participants engaged in 15 short sessions, discussing changing sentiments from source markets China and Japan, recommendations for the meetings sector, the latest data and insights for travel businesses, how to communicate with stakeholders in these times, the ever increasing importance of sustainability including climate change, plastic pollution, child protection, and wildlife conservation, as well as a scenario analysis to prepare for the future today.