“Cleaning” tourism environment
Update: 21/05/2008
A good news for both international and domestic tourist when visiting Hoi An ancient street – world cultural heritage- is that authorities and sectors of Hoi An town has basically eliminated the tourist “broker” issues, especially following up, soliciting and making difficulties for tourist… in this famous cultural tourism spot.
Hundreds of “brokers”, who often follow up tourist, have committed to “quit”, not disturbing tourist in the Hoi An town. In particular, in order to maintain the result in the long run, limiting at the lowest level the repetition, together with requesting tourist “broker” signing on commitment paper, local authorities and sectors also have policy to support, lend them money, create job for brokers who loses their job, especially those with difficult situation. The town also organizes ad-hoc youth team who will take care of security issue, coordinating with tourism sector to give instruction, creating safe and convenient mood and healthy cultural tourism environment for tourist visiting Hoi An.
Such activities of Hoi An authorities is highly appreciated and should be multiplied, especially in the high season. Practice has shown that tourist “broker” issue, sticking and scrambling for tourist have become urgent issues in many provinces and tourist spots that annoys international and domestic tourists, affecting the beauty and cultural feature of Viet Nam. It is not including tourist brokers who cheat, charge tourist with very high price, even beating those who do not satisfy the request of broker. Parallel with disorder caused by tourist scrambling is the poor competition, uncontrolled shops, sticking paddled wares and social evil developed, environment contaminated… making the tourism picture to have a lot of “dark points”.
Practice also shows that management of tourism and development strategy for this “non-smoke industry” in our country is inconsistent. Management and development done in uncontrolled, seasonal, ragged and snatching way… still happens in many localities and tourism facilities. This “non-smoke industry” with the annual growth rate of 10% that toped in the foreign earning industry is lacking of high quality labor force, especially professional manager and operator. That is the question that training institutions and tourism agencies are jointly to find effective solution, shortening the gap between learning and working in order to serve customer in the best manner. Eliminating tourist “broker” and more importantly training of staff in sector to keep pace with the development demand of tourism of the country shall be of necessary. Let give the tourist, especially international tourist, the feeling of really comfortable, excitement, safe and best served when they discover Viet Nam tourism- “Safe destination”. Good impression of tourist will be “valuable gift” for us and this is also the most effective and civilized tourism promotion.