Ho Chi Minh City, December 27th, 2024

     On the morning of December 27, 2024, at Queenland Park – Sky Garden Area, District 7, the Department of Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City, in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the People's Committee of District 7, and other relevant departments and units, organized the launch ceremony for the program “Every Tourism Business is a Friendly Destination”. This significant initiative aims to establish Ho Chi Minh City as a friendly, safe, and professional tourism destination, thereby enhancing service quality and promoting the sustainable development of the tourism industry. The program is a meaningful activity to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Southern Vietnam and the country’s reunification (April 30, 1975 – April 30, 2025).

    The “Every Tourism Business is a Friendly Destination” program has been developed with the following goals:

- To encourage businesses, organizations, and individuals in the tourism services, restaurants, hotels, transportation, and related sectors to establish and maintain friendly, professional service standards, ensuring the best experiences for tourists.

- To foster a dynamic competitive environment, promoting innovation in tourism service quality at tourist destinations within the city; contributing to enhancing service quality and the sustainable development of the city's tourism industry; and promoting Ho Chi Minh City’s image as a welcoming, hospitable, and kind-hearted destination.

-  To raise awareness and social responsibility among businesses in creating a healthy, civilized, and eco-friendly business environment.

     At the launch ceremony, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Department of Tourism, shared: "The 'Every Tourism Business is a Friendly Destination' program is an integral part of Ho Chi Minh City's sustainable tourism development plan for the period 2025-2030. This is not only a call to action for businesses to collaborate in creating a professional business environment but also a commitment by the city to elevate the tourism experience, creating distinctive cultural imprints, and leaving a lasting sense of friendliness that visitors will cherish."

     Within the framework of the launch ceremony, several practical activities were implemented to encourage active participation from businesses, including:

1. Introduction of evaluation criteria for "Every Tourism Business is a Friendly Destination" with specific criteria, focusing on:

- Products/services: Diverse, innovative, high-quality, and safe products; advanced technology application; addressing various customer needs and preferences; providing unique experiences for visitors.

- Service attitude: Friendly, dedicated, and professional staff for serving customers; prompt and efficient response to customer needs; customer satisfaction assessment through surveys, direct feedback, and online reviews; and publicized hotlines for tourist service.

- Environment and environmental protection: Commitment to environmental conservation; waste management to maintain a green, clean environment; use of renewable resources, energy, limiting pollution, and eco-friendly technologies.

-  Community Engagement: Ensuring safety, security, and social order; participating in local community activities; contributing to social initiatives and safeguarding employee rights; providing information on local events and festivals; encouraging and facilitating interaction between tourists and locals. Proactively repairing, renovating, and upgrading restrooms to meet standards for serving tourists; installing and attaching signs indicating "Free Toilet", and public toilet signs to improve the quality of the tourism environment and ensure the number of public toilets to serve people and tourists.

2. Implementation of the Project "Improving the quantity and quality of public toilets in the city for the period 2024-2025" with many practical solutions:

- Promoting and mobilizing to raise awareness of maintaining public hygiene and applying modern technology for enhanced accessibility and service quality; improving the quality of service of public toilets in the city;

- Renovating existing public toilets;

- Constructing new and additional public toilets;

- Encouraging owners or/and management units of businesses and services (restaurants, hotels, food service establishments, gas stations, shopping centers, cultural centers, training centers, supermarkets, shops, bus stations, post offices, etc.) to allow tourists and locals to use their restroom facilities.

      At the launch ceremony, Ms. Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, emphasized: "Each tourism business, whether large or small, plays a crucial role in building the image of a friendly, professional, and distinctive city tourism; in which, each employee will be 'tourism ambassadors' always ready to provide exceptional experiences for visitors.”

     The launch ceremony received positive support from city departments, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City and districts, the community of businesses in tourism, restaurants, hotels, transportation, tourist attractions, and related fields. At the same time, social organizations, professional associations, and the local community have also committed to accompanying and contributing to creating a sustainable and friendly tourism ecosystem. The "Every Tourism Business is a Friendly Destination" program will be implemented in two phases:

- Phase 1: Organizing the launch of the "Every Tourism Business is a Friendly Destination" program and announcing the evaluation criteria for each tourism business as a friendly destination with the goal of creating a competitive environment, promoting innovation in tourism service quality at tourist destinations in Ho Chi Minh City.

- Phase 2: Executing registrations, organizing assessment, selection, and implementation in 2025.

     The launch of the "Every Tourism Business is a Friendly Destination" program has marked an essential milestone in elevating Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector. The program is not only a commitment to service quality but also reflects the aspiration to create a civilized and sustainable tourism environment, enhancing Ho Chi Minh City’s standing on the regional and global tourism map.

THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM OF HO CHI MINH CITY