The Institute for Tourism Development Research of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute collaborated on a virtual conference, sharing experiences on maintaining tourists' safety in COVID-19.

The event is expected to strengthen ties between the two institutes, the two countries and lay the groundwork for establishing a tourism expert network between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Photo: CNN Travel

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the measures for the tourism industry's revival in the near future is to promote a contactless service model.

Director of the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute Kim Dea-kwan said through various exchange initiatives, the two countries have maintained close collaboration in recent years, particularly in culture and tourism.

The ideal policy for travel businesses, according to several delegates, is to assist them in resuming operations in accordance with COVID-19 preventative and control measures.

In terms of securely adjusting to the new normal, Heejeong Han, Associate Research Fellow at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI), explained that the contactless model focuses on assuring visitor safety before generating travel demand in the post-Covid-19 time.

Using technologies like AI will help connect service providers and tourists, create new services for customers, then increase their travel experiences,” Hee Jeong Han said during the conference.

Dr. Hyunju Kim, KCTI's research fellow, said during the conference that tourism activities in South Korea would be restored at the beginning of November, and policies will be implemented to prepare for this reopening.

According to the South Korean research fellow, they need to establish a new growth strategy based on new advances and have plans in place to deal with any challenges that arise during the implementation of these new growth policies.

"The tourism business must satisfy digitization and climate change criteria that arose during the pandemic," Dr. Hyunju Kim said.

The government has also established a policy structure based on its strengths, such as the Korean wave, in order to continue tourism activities.

Local tourism also requires attention, with the industry promoting its assets such as appealing destinations and competitive services. According to Dr. Kim, the government should encourage regions to develop human resources and design policies based on local conditions.

KCTI's research fellow, Hee Jeong Han speech in the Virtual Vietnam-Korean Tourism Conference. Photo: HanoiTimes

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the VNAT's Institute of Tourism Development Research, expressed his comments about the directions of the South Korean policies: “Through the conference, there were useful models and suggestions that will help us get ideas for developing research plans for the revival of the tourism industry.”

Vietnamese tourism managers and businesses can also find out solutions to deploy activities effectively, especially when Vietnam will welcome international tourists on a trial basis for restoring the tourism industry.

The Government of Vietnam will strengthen the cooperation relationship more closely through policies and strategies to boost the development of the tourism industry between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.

Vietnamese Delegates of Institute for Tourism Development Research (ITDR) in Virtual conference. Photo: NhanDan

In the most recent move, the Vietnamese government will allow international touriststo visit Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Danang, and Quang Ninh in November, the first of a two-phase pilot project to revive tourism. The pilot will be run on a closed package basis, with charter flights, specified lodging places, and itineraries.

The second phase will begin in January 2022, with the goal of expanding incoming activities to other areas where the immunization plan and Covid-19 scenario are both in good shape.

From the third quarter of 2022, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism expects to welcome international visitors.

Photo: Getty Images

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