An inspection team led by Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Tuan Anh on August 20 examined the preventive measures taken by large hotels and travel agencies against deadly Ebola virus which is currently ravaging West Africa.

Most of the sites inspected showed thorough preparation and tough measures are in place to prevent the spread of the virus into Vietnam.

Travel agents: Visitors’ health safety – top priority

There’s growing concern over the possible spread of Ebola virus to Vietnam via international tourists. Hence, tour operators and other tourism service providers are on high alert and taking precautions following instructions of relevant ministries and agencies to prevent the outbreak of the fatal disease, which has so far killed an estimated 1,350 people, mostly in western Africa.

Vietnam’s leading travel agents have suspended tours to Africa. For international visitors to Vietnam, local tour operators have requested their partners in Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and Malaysia to not receive visitors from Ebola-hit areas in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Stringent measures and thermal scanners have been installed at airports to promptly detect the deadly Ebola virus as a safeguard to prevent the deadly virus from entering the country.

Nguyen Cong Hoan, Deputy Director of HanoiRed tour JSC. said his firms have cancelled many tours to African from now through August 30. Each year, HanoiRedtour takes 4-5 delegations of Vietnamese tourists to South Africa.

A representative from Vietrantour said many local tourists are hesitant to travel to African countries and other high-risk nations, including Thailand and Malaysia.

In addition, many big travel agencies in Vietnam have increased insurance service fees for their costumers in the wake of rising Ebola infection cases. HaNoi tourist has offered higher healthcare insurance to ensure the rights of tourists in case they contract the deadly virus during a tour.

Hotels: closer coordination with medical agencies

Most big hotels, from three-star to five-star, have tightened their cooperation with local medical agencies in order to provide better healthcare services for customers. They have also made careful preparations to send infected cases to nearby clinic centres. 

Melia Hotel has its own quarantine room for infected tourists and cooperates with 115 Hanoi emergency centres to send patients to Vietnam-France Hospital (for international visitors) and to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (for local visitors) if necessary. All rooms are sterilized and equipped to prevent the spread of Ebola.

Deawoo Hotel has prepared three rooms to quarantine suspected cases.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Tuan Anh said no incidences of the virus have been detected in Vietnam so far. The tourism sector is intensifying preventive measures and cooperating with the healthcare sector to prepare timely treatment for infected cases.

He asked travel agents and hotels to give top priority to ensuring heath safety of tourists and organizing training courses on Ebola prevention and control to the tourism sector’s employees. However, he said, it is important to avoid causing unnecessary anxiety for tourists.