HCM City reports 12% fall of visitors during Tet holiday

The number of tourists to HCM City during the nine-day Tet holiday dropped by 12%, according to Deputy Director of HCM City Department of Tourism Vo Thi Ngoc Thuy.

The number of tourists to HCM City during the nine-day Tet holiday dropped by 12%, according to Deputy Director of HCM City Department of Tourism Vo Thi Ngoc Thuy.

  

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The numbers were announced at a conference about coronavirus and solutions for the tourism sector held by the Department of Tourism and the Department of Health on February 4. Even though HCM City tourism sector doesn't depend on Chinese tourists, it was still affected by the outbreak as many tours were cancelled.

The Department of Tourism asked firms to refund 80-100% to their customers if cancelled tours are related to the coronavirus outbreak in China. The number of customers of many firms and the number of visitors at many destinations dropped by 30-50%.

According to Thuy, the local tourism industry has implemented preventive measures to deal with the outbreak and publicise information to ensure the safety of the locals and tourists.

Nguyen Phuong Anh, representative of Park Hyatt Hotel said many customers cancelled reservation or postponed events. They are also following the situation and directives from the authorities.

"We asked all employees, especially those that have direct contacts with customers, to wear masks. All employees must check the temperature and wash hands before starting their shifts. Shared places like the hallways are cleaned more often," she said.

Starting from February 10, the Tourism Department will co-operate with firms and volunteers to give away 200,000 masks to tourists.