Regulations on conditions for recognition of a provincial tourist attraction in Vietnam

Regulations on conditions for recognition of a provincial tourist attraction in Vietnam (Internet image)

1. What is a tourism area?

According to Clause 6, Article 3 of the Law on Tourism 2017, a tourism area means an area which has tourism resources and has been properly planned and invested for development with the aim of meeting the various demands of tourists. Tourism area includes provincial tourism areas and national tourism areas.

2. Conditions for recognition of a provincial tourist attraction in Vietnam

Article 12 of Decree 168/2017/ND-CP stipulates a tourist attraction will be recognized as provincial tourist attraction if it:

- Has at least 01 provincial tourist attraction that has boundaries shown on a topographic map certified by a competent authority. The scale of the map varies depending on management requirements and topography.

- Has infrastructure and services that meet food and accommodation demands and other demands from tourists, including:

+ Electricity and clean water supply system;

+ Food and shopping establishments qualified for provision of services for tourists and serving at least 100,000 tourists per year, tourist accommodation establishments serving at least 50,000 tourists per year;

+ Tourism area signs and regulations, traffic signs, service and attraction signs;

+ Tour guiding services.

- The provincial tourist attraction must be connected to national traffic and telecommunications infrastructure system.

- Satisfies requirements for security, social order and security, environmental protection. To be specific:

+ Rescuers and security guards must be available;

+ Telephone and address of organizations in charge of managing tourism area must be published;

+ There must be a department responsible for providing information for tourists. Methods for receiving and promptly settling tourists’ complaints must be adopted;

+ Public toilets must be clean, ventilated and well lit. A sufficient number of public toilets must be provided at peak times;

+ There must be a waste collection system and waste treatment measures, a domestic wastewater collection and treatment system or a domestic wastewater collection system connected to a centralized wastewater treatment system in accordance with the law on environmental protection, and environmental services personnel;

+ Fire fighting measures must be adopted in accordance with regulations of law.

3. Scope of management of a tourism area in Vietnam

Scope of management of a tourism area includes:

- Manage master plans and development investment;

- Manage tourism business and tour guides;

- Manage the investment in, use and protection of tourism resources;

- Ensure the safety of tourists, social order and security, environmental protection in the tourism area;

- Put up signs and signboards and provide information for tourists;

- Other contents prescribed by law.

(Clause 1, Article 29 of the Law on Tourism 2017)

4. Prohibited acts regarding tourism activities in Vietnam

According to Article 9 of the Law on Tourism 2017, prohibited acts in tourism activities include:

- Cause harm to national sovereignty and interests, national defense, security, social order and security, national cultural traditions, ethics and fine traditions and customs.

- Abuse tourism activities to illegally take people abroad or into Vietnam.

- Damage tourism resources and environment.

- Discriminate against tourists and make illicit profits from tourists; scramble for tourists or insist on or force tourists to purchase goods or use services.

- Running a tourism business in case of ineligibility for business, without license or in case of failure to conditions for running business during operation in accordance with the Law on Tourism 2017 and relevant regulations of law.

- Use the license for provision of tour of another travel service provider or allow another organization or individual to use the license for provision of tour to do business.

- Act as a tour guide without satisfying all conditions.

- Advertise the wrong category or rating of the tourist accommodation establishment that has been recognized by a competent authority; advertise category and rating of the tourist accommodation establishment that is yet to be recognized by a competent authority.

- Other acts prohibited by relevant laws.

Thanh Rin

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