EuroCham Urges Vietnam to Reopen International Travel

Flight passengers are seen at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, October 2021. (Photo: VnExpress)

Vietnam should go faster in reopening travel activities to initiate tourism and increase public direct investment as the country begins to recovery from Covid-19 impacts, EuroCham stated.

Although Vietnam has been able to control the pandemic and life is returning to normal, some sectors remain at risk of falling behind in the race to recover post-pandemic, VN Express quoted EuroCham Chairman Alain Cany.

"Tourism - one of Vietnam’s spearhead economic sectors and one which is responsible for millions of jobs - remains restricted to guided tours, and this is keeping the brakes on economic growth," he said in a statement.

He encouraged the government to go further and faster in re-opening, at least in areas with high vaccination rates, so Vietnam could achieve its full potential as a leader in this and other industries and attract more foreign investment in 2022.

European companies ended 2021 more positive and optimistic about Vietnam’s trade and investment environment, according to the Business Climate Index (BCI) announced by the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) on January 27.

The BCI reached the highest point following the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, with positive sentiment reaching 61 points, a jump of 42 points since the third quarter of 2021 after the end of lockdowns and the re-opening of normal commercial operations.

European enterprises are also more confident about the prospects of their development in this post-pandemic ‘new normal’. Up to 43 percent of European businesses surveyed plan to increase their investment in the first quarter of 2022 compared to just 17 percent three months ago, according to VNA.

Processing clams for export - Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

However, EuroCham Chairman Alain Cany said European business leaders welcome the return to life as normal and business as usual, and in particular the easing of entrance requirements for vaccinated foreigners who live and work here.

Almost 90 percent of EuroCham member companies reported that previous restrictions had an impact on their commercial operations. So, this new regulation will help to improve the business environment and increase the confidence of business leaders still further.

Vietnamese officials are considering the resumption of international tourism after two years of restrictions due to the pandemic.

Alain Cany noted that some sectors remain at risk of falling behind in the race to recover post-pandemic. EuroCham encourages the Vietnamese Government to go further and faster in re-opening - at least in areas with high vaccination rates - so that Vietnam can achieve its full potential as a leader in this and other industries and attract more foreign investment in 2022.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung told a forum Monday that the country now ranks sixth globally in vaccination speed and this could be an advantage for tourism recovery.

But some factors are acting as barriers in the resumption process, such as inconsistencies in Covid-19 measures between localities, and that businesses have been weakened by long social distancing periods.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, under the tourism ministry, has proposed that the country fully welcome back international tourists starting May 1.

Vietnam Airlines, which has resumed flights to Europe, has proposed that all restrictions be lifted as soon as Feb. 1.

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