HÀ NỘI  Ha Noi's tourism sector has been implementing various strict measures both to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the community and to minimise the effects caused by the pandemic.

Specifically, the Ha Noi Department of Tourism has called on tourism-related businesses, organisations and individuals to strictly comply with regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control under the government and local authority, especially those on social distancing.

The department has cooperated with relevant agencies to ensure that these regulations have been properly implemented at 20 hotels that are serving as paid quarantine facilities in the city.

The Department of Health, the Capital Army Command, the Vietnam Airlines Corporation and related organisations have been requested to coordinate in receiving and transporting people from pandemic-hit localities to authorised quarantine facilities.

Immigrants, Vietnamese returning from pandemic-struck spots and other related individuals who are quarantined at authorised hotels are required to comply with regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control by consulting the information and support services that are jointly provided by the Ha Noi Department of Tourism and the Vietnam Tourism Joint Stock Company VNTravel.

At the same time, the tourism sector of the city authorities plans to promote awareness about pandemic prevention and control rules at tourist accommodation in general and quarantined hotels in particular via inspection and guidance, while maintaining inter-departmental briefings with quarantined facilities and the authorities of relevant districts.

The Ha Noi Department of Tourism continues to closely control and monitor the effects caused by the pandemic on the tourism sector, ensuring service quality and tourists’ benefits; developing solutions to handle losses and risks in tourism business during and post-pandemic.

Meanwhile, tourism businesses will be guided to register for COVID-19 safety assessments at the request of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The city's tourism authority will monitor and forecast the ongoing situation to proactively offer consultation to the city's People's Committee to effectively control the pandemic.

In the first seven months of 2021, the number of tourists to Ha Noi, all of whom are domestic ones, reaches 2.92 million, reducing by 43,1 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The total revenue earned from tourism is estimated at VNĐ8.17 trillion, reducing 63.6 per cent. Particularly, Ha Noi had no domestic tourists in August due to social distancing measures taken since late July to prevent the spread of the pandemic. VNS