Hoteliers, tourism firms hail relaxed rules on late-night hotel services, outbound tours

      Hoteliers and foreign-local joint venture tour operators have welcomed two new decisions from the Government that allow four and five-star hotels to remain open until 2 a.m. and tour operators to arrange outbound tours.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung on Monday agreed to a plan of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to carry out activities to help the sector develop in times of recession. He has approved the ministry to select a list of the four and five-star hotels to pilot some entertainment services until 2 a.m. The pilot activity will run to the end of 2010.
The Deputy Prime Minister also agreed to allow foreign-local joint venture tour operators to arrange outbound tours for Vietnamese and foreigners who live and work in the country. The current rules permit these firms to arrange inbound tours for foreigners in Vietnam.
Vuong Anh Tuan, director of the four-star Continental Hotel in HCMC, told the Daily on Wednesday that the hotel had waited a long time for the decision. “The old ban on all activities at entertainment venues after midnight made guests unhappy,” he said.
Sometimes, because of requests, the hotel should open entertainment areas with quiet music and lights. “Foreigners want to enjoy the city’s nightlife so it’s difficult to refuse their requests,” he said.
Luong Trung Hieu, deputy general director of the five-star Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers in downtown HCMC, said that he was pleased with the decision. “We can serve guests better and hope to increase our entertainment services revenue because we can extend our opening hours,” he said.
Hieu said that the hotel had yet to receive an official document from the tourism agency so the hotel waits to extend the entertainment time.
The entrepreneurs from the foreign-local joint venture travel company were also pleased with the new decision.
They hope the decision will help them raise their business and do business in a level playing field with local companies.
“We want to arrange outbound tours. We are waiting for detailed guidance from the tourism agency to complete our business function,” said Nguyen Van Tran, general director of APEX-Vietnam Co. Ltd, a foreign-local joint venture travel company in HCMC which specializes in arranging inbound tours for Japanese tourists in Vietnam.
He said joint venture companies had a strong advantage of a wide business system and partners in foreign countries so that such companies can make outbound tours very well.
APEX plans to launch outbound tours to Japan in the coming time. The company is preparing brochures to promote the tours to Vietnamese people, focusing on Japanese companies in Vietnam.
He said such companies had a strong demand to send employees to Japan for travel or to join training programs there.
“We can start outbound tours this year if the tourism agency issues the guidance soon,” Tran said.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in May submitted the above plan to the Prime Minister to help the tourism sector overcome the difficult times.
Under the plan, the ministry asked the government to allow hotels and resorts to pay only standard power prices during peak hours and to develop tourism stop-over stations. However, this proposal has not been approved.