Khanh Hoa proposes pilot reopening to vaccinated foreign travelers

Fully vaccinated foreigners would be able to visit the southern coastal province of Khanh Hoa under the latest proposal for reopening inbound tourism.

Foreign tourists enjoy their vacation in Nha Trang coastal city's bay, Khanh Hoa Province before the Covid-19 period. Photo: baokhanhhoa

The Khanh Hoa provincial tourism industry will prioritize hosting groups who stay at beach resorts and use self-contained services.

The provincial People’s Committee said it would study the so-called “Phu Quoc sandbox” to come up with its reopening plan.

According to the sandbox program, foreign arrivals will have to comply with requirements under a closed tourism model including flying in on charter flights, staying at sequestered resorts and restricting movement. Local residents are also required to be fully vaccinated before the deployment of the program.

The latest move is expected to be among the drives to revive the battered tourism industry. 

Previously, the provincial authorities proposed the recovery in several phases, in which in phase one, the province would reopen its hospitality installations for local residents and those from neighboring countries.

In phase two from August to December, it would reopen for domestic tourists from its traditional markets. In phase three, the province would draw meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) groups and inbound segment with the authorization of the Government.

During January-June, total number of tourists to the province reached nearly 460,000, equivalent to 9% of the 2021 plan, yielding a revenue of VND1.7 trillion (US$74 million).

Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this year, the provincial tourism industry aims to welcome more than five million visitors, an increase of 343% compared to 2020.

To reach the goal, the tourism industry of Khanh Hoa is expanding connections with travel agencies throughout the country to accelerate the recovery.