Caption: River policemen are checking tourist safety on an Emperor Dragon Boat Tour.
In addition, whenever a passenger bus arrives, “travel touters” approach touristsannoyingly touting their accommodation and parking services; when their offer is turned down, the touters start insulting, swearing, even beating tourists. At midnight in the Western streets, there are also some peddlers trying to accost foreigners to buy marijuana and use it in disguised places.
Mr. Le Huu Minh, Deputy Director of Department of Tourism, said that the provincial tourism had seen positive changes in the recent time; however, the developing pace had not met the expectations. Among many other causative factors, this slow development resulted from the poor tourism environment in some places.
At the latest meeting on tourism development in June, Nguyen Van Cao, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee required the Department of Tourism to continue to accomplish the hotline, to investigate to achieve a complete processing mechanism, and to have a specific assignment for each unit to handle tourists’ feedback promptly. With regard to tourism environment, the People’s Committees of districts, towns and Hue City direct wards and communes to strengthen inspections and management of the touting situation at busy tourist attractions. The Department of Tourism must take the main responsibility of coordinating related local organizations and branches to go on regular patrols, to inspect, and to manage the situations of touting, fleecing and swindling at tourist attractions and tourist sites.
Colonel Dang Ngoc Son, Deputy Director of the provincial Police Department, said that they would conduct local police forces to strengthen inspections and control of central routes, tourist spots, amusement parks, shopping centres, public sites, and unsafe-for-tourists areas in order to detect, prevent and punish the violations promptly.
Recently, the Department of Tourism has advised the Steering Committee for the provincial tourism development on some solutions such as managing the roadway and pavement encroachments forbusiness activities, coordinating to handle the situations of begging and touting. At tourist sites, it is necessary to enhance ways of informing and warning tourists about crimes, and to develop professional, caring, civilized, polite, friendly service attitudes towards tourists.
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The Department of Tourism has opened the Tourism Promotion and Information Center in Hue City, established hotline 0905165843 and 02343501111 operated by Chief Inspector Nguyen Thai Hoa, available 24/24 for tourists to give feedback and seek help. The Department of Tourism is also developing a project, counseling the provincial People’s Committee on the establishment of a rapid response force to receive, process and respond to tourists’ recommendations better.
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By Thai Binh