The Private Economic Development Research Board (under the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform) continues to propose to improve some technical barriers to attract international visitors to Vietnam.
On May 6, 2022, Committee IV reported to the Prime Minister on a number of challenges and technical barriers in the process of welcoming international guests, and proposed solutions to increase the efficiency of implementing the policy of opening up to international tourism.
Committee IV proposed the Government direct the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VNAT), Vietnamese embassies abroad, and the Ministry of Information and Communications to coordinate and plan synchronously to promote international communication and international tourism marketing.
In order to reduce barriers for international visitors, Board IV proposed that the Ministry of Health and relevant ministries and branches study to remove the requirement for international tourists to be tested before leaving the country, just do a quick test at the border gate if the customer has symptoms such as fever, cough…; Regarding travel insurance, the requirement “includes content intended for treatment of Covid” is removed.
The visa exemption policy is one of the barriers for Vietnam’s tourism in attracting international visitors, so Board IV stated: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security to study and propose plans to improve visa policy/e-visa in the direction of expanding the visa exemption list for potential markets such as the United States, India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands… in order to diversify the market, not to be dependent on a few traditional markets.
Board VI also proposes to increase the visa exemption period for markets as far away as the European market (UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Nordic countries) from 15 days to 30 days; apply multiple entry and exit visas and are valid for more days to attract and retain tourists to stay in Vietnam longer; Reduce paperwork and procedures with travel agencies or directly with visitors, simplifying e-visas and visas at the border.
During the peak period of preparation for the 2022 inbound tourism season (welcoming international visitors), the agency also proposed the Prime Minister consider setting up a multi-component special working group (includes representatives of the public and private sectors and an active supportive Secretariat), to operate online based on actual figures and data, regularly update the situation to make timely decisions.
@ Cafef