All high-end hotels nationwide will be allowed early next year to keep some entertainment facilities open until 2 a.m. instead of 12:00 a.m. to cater to tourists.

Under the new rule, bars of three- to five-star hotels and discotheques and karaoke bars of four- to five-star hotels can stay open until 2:00 a.m.

In July, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung approved the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s proposal to allow certain hotels to extend the opening time of their entertainment facilities by two hours to boost business in the wake of tough times.

Hung asked the ministry to select hotels to join this pilot program until the end of next year.

The hotel department is asking the Government to allow all luxury hotels to enjoy this incentive on a trial basis instead of a few selected hotels.

The hotel department in September reported that the country had 303 three- to five-star hotels, including 32 five-star hotels and 92 four-star hotels.

Of the activities expected to help tourism entrepreneurs overcome the tough times, the Deputy Prime Minister allows foreign-local joint venture tour operators to arrange outbound tours for Vietnamese and foreigners who live and work in the country. The old rules permitted these firms to arrange inbound tours for foreigners only.

Vu The Binh, head of the Travel Department, told the Daily that three of 12 foreign-local joint venture tour operators had registered to organize outbound tours with some others completing their procedures.

VietNamNet/SGT