HCMC fines wayward travel firms

HO CHI MINH CITY Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Tourism says more than 130 travel and hospitality firms were fined a total of USD89,300 for various violations.

Vietnam Net Bridge media quoted tourism chief inspector, Nguyen Van Kham, saying 33 travel agents, including four offering outbound tours, were hauled up for unlicensed operations and a failure to use qualified guides.

More than 100 hotels were fined for failing to reassess their star ratings and make an announcement about their operations and any change in their rating.

Ten tour guides were fined for failure to produce lists of tourists, tour schedules and labour contracts.

The city has nearly 1,100 travel agents, including 578 that offer outbound tours.

Last year, inspectors fined 40 travel agents, 89 hotels and 19 tour guides more than USD111,600, the report said.

The department will continue to inspect travel agencies and tour guides to ensure a safe and healthy trip for tourists.

Ho Chi Minh City tourism officials estimate that the southern city will attract 5.1 million international tourists and 21.8 million domestic tourists in 2016 earning an estimated USD4.8 billion in revenue.

For the first half of this year, the city received more than 2.4 million international visitors, a 12.2% increase year-on-year, according to the department.

Last year, the city welcomed 4.6 million foreign visitors and 19.3 million domestic tourists, up 4.6% and 13% year-on-year, respectively. Tourism earnings reached over USD 4.1 billion, a 10% increase year-on-year.

The United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Australia, Russia, Singapore and France are among the city’s leading tourism supply markets.