Workers in the accommodation section are returning to their usual work.
A complete passion
English-speaking tour guide Nguyen Duy Thanh has not had any tour for 10 months now. The difficulties he encountered in his new job has reminded him of tour guiding. He successively failed in real estate brokerage due to his lack of expertise and in passenger transportation because of the low demands and loose customer network.
“Tour-guiding has been part of my life for almost 20 years now. It is not only a source of income, but also a source of joy. It gives me everything. From the initial difficulties, I gradually got stable in life, got married, brought up the children and bought our own house. My only wish now is that the pandemic would pass quickly so that I would be able to return to my work as soon as possible. I’ve been so happy to have heard of the trial of the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s not so long to be back to tour-guiding,” said Nguyen Duy Thanh.
Many people working in the tourism industry have been nostalgic of the work, and they often share their work memories on social media. Nguyen Dinh Quyen, a tour guide, shared a status: “It’s been a year since I guided the last tour. No word can express my “hunger” for guiding. It’s a pleasure to serve the tourists, and it’s my choice of life.”
This tour guide is now doing another job, but he said he would never give up tour-guiding. He will return to tour-guiding as soon as Vietnam admits tourist arrivals.
The fact that COVID-19 vaccine is being trialed in Vietnam and in the world is good news for those who work in the tourism industry. It is estimated by tourism organizations that Vietnam will probably welcome tourists back from the second quarter of 2021 on.
Hue tourism industry is trying to retain working force
If it is so, tourist life will be beating again in 6 months. Thousands of employees in the tourism industry will be back to work.
“Before getting back, I will take the time to sharpen skills of customer care services, enhance and update the knowledge of tour-guiding to be ready for work. I will also learn the skills of ensuring tourists’ safety and handling emergency cases,” Nguyen Dinh Quyen said.
Retaining the career passion
The leaders of the Department of Tourism said that the situation is positive when the staff in the accommodation sector has started working as hotels have received domestic guests lately and the travel agencies have reactivated domestic activities.
Nonetheless, workers are still facing difficulties as 70% of the travel agencies have been in stand-by or rotative operation since early November 2020. The tourism staff had encountered financial difficulties.
A big question for the tourism industry is what to do to retain the career passion of the labor force and encourage them to get ready for a return, especially those who have found new jobs and been successful in them.
Mr. Vu Van Chuong, Director of ‘Vietnam Pride’ Tourism Ltd. in Hue, said that businesses need to try their best to share the difficulty with their employees by ensuring a certain amount of salary. In addition, it is important to create solidarity in the working environment as if everyone is in a family. This is a good way to retain the labor force.
Mr. Tran Huu Cuu, Chairman of the Tour Guide Association, said that the Association decided not to collect 2020 membership fees as a way to share the financial difficulties with members. The Association also held meetings to share information about jobs and encourage each other to overcome the time of crisis.
The Association also formed small groups to help members to find temporary jobs and encouraged them to use the services of each other.
The Acting Director of the Department of Tourism, Le Huu Minh, said that they have submitted to the Provincial People’s Committee a proposal of effective measures and support packages for workers in the tourism industry. In addition, they continued to propose support packages for businesses such as a reduction in electricity supply, water supply and tax.
Apart from tax policy, it is also important to make it possible for travel companies to have easy access to loans because few companies have collateral. Saving the business is the best way to save the workers, retaining their career passion.
Story and photos: Duc Quang