HCMC – The Government and the Ministry of Finance should allow insurance companies in Vietnam to study and launch Covid-19 travel insurance products in line with the law to prepare for the resumption of the international tourism segment, said Vo Anh Tai, deputy general director of Saigontourist Group.
As the prime minister has ordered considering the resumption of international flights after the Lunar New Year, leaders of some travel firms said it is necessary to prepare for the immediate resumption of tourism activities.
At the National Travel Forum held in Haiphong City on January 12, Tai said in order to resume the international tourism segment, predictions about the markets, resumption of visa-waiver programs as well as other policies to ensure benefits for foreign tourists and the development of cooperation policies are important.
Of these, policies to ensure benefits for visitors should be considered at the earliest. All international tourists to Vietnam and Vietnamese tourists travelling abroad should be covered with Covid-19 travel insurance to ensure benefits for visitors, travel firms and the authorities.
In some other countries, Covid-19 travel insurance programs have been launched to help tourists with costs for Covid-19 treatment and repatriation.
Tai added that requirements for the cancellation of tours should be amended to reduce financial disputes among enterprises in tourism service supply chains and maintain the travel demand from customers.
Vietnam should make preparations to quickly resume visa waiver programs for citizens from Japan, South Korea, Russia and nine ASEAN countries, which were suspended from March last year due to the pandemic.
In addition, the country should set up policies to cooperate with other countries in the region in the tourism, foreign affairs and transport sectors to support the recovery of the local tourism sector.
By Dao Loan
