Digital transformation helps revive tourism industry

A man experiences on-the-spot travel via a new digital platform(Photo: VietnamPlus)

Hanoi (VNA) - To revive the half-alive tourism industry by impacts posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, technological "giants" have been committed to helping travel businesses enhance digital transformation. Technology has also been drastically changing the way people think about travel. 

In order to support tourism businesses to overcome difficulties caused by the pandemic, towards promoting Vietnam's tourism to international friends, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is proposing solutions to the Government, including a mobile app named “Du lich Viet Nam an toan” (Safe travel in Vietnam), which is hoped to be launched in the near future.

In a bid to revive Vietnam's smokeless industry in the post-pandemic period, technological "giants" such as Facebook and Google are committed to helping promote destinations and digital transformation, aiming to support the Vietnamese tourism sector in creating a breakthrough development in the “new normal" period.

Time for safe travel in Vietnam

The application of a digital tourism map for computers and mobile devices will bring convenience, travel services and options to users, services providers and State management agencies. 

Visitors can also look up information about the current COVID-19 situation as well as details on infection cases and the number of recovered patients.

Tourists are free to send their feedback and comments on the service quality of places they visited as well as whether places met the safety standards which they laid out on the app.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said that the app aims to support travelers in searching for information on safe destinations and interacting with tourism service providers.

A visitor is guided on how to use a digital platform (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Many travel firms said that developing an app with specific information about safe destinations is necessary at this time.

The app will make it easier for visitors to check information related to safe destinations, restaurants, hotels, apartments, entertainment places, transport providers, hospitals and pharmacies.

It will also provide travel agencies more suggestions and orientations to build safe tourism products and services, thus facilitating airlines’ plans for air ticket sales. 

At this time, the tourism departments of Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, Quang Ninh, and Ha Giang mostly actively implement safety criteria in line with their commitments. They are ready to welcome visitors back, not only domestic tourists but also international holiday-makers.

A strong digital transformation

At a recent forum discussing digital transformation and tourism development, representatives of Facebook and Google confirmed that they will continue to accompany Vietnam in promoting destinations and digital transformation in order to help its tourism thrive in the time to come.

According to Nguyen Anh Nguyet, Country Head of Vietnam Public Policy, Facebook, “travel” "and" resort "are two strong post-COVID-19 trends.

Facebook's late 2020 survey of service trends in Vietnam showed that 86 percent of consumers intend to reward themselves, while 87 percent said they intend to share and give gifts to relatives, Nguyet noted. 

A visitor is searching for travel information and services on digital platforms. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

To contribute to promoting Vietnam’s destinations, Facebook, in partnership with the US Mission to Vietnam and partners, launched a “Facebook for Vietnam - Facebook for Economy” campaign in May.

It also cooperated with Vietnamese travel agencies to launch the "Proud Vietnam" project, including the "Immense Vietnam" music video, which aims to promote the country’s tourism.

The project is also expected to attract domestic and foreign tourists to Vietnam and is expected to be a source of national pride for the Vietnamese people in response to the Prime Minister's call for post-COVID-19 economic and tourism promotion.  

The launch also marked the start of the “Immense Vietnam” fanpage which showcases Vietnam’s natural beauty and rich cultural identity – a destination that lends itself perfectly to tourism and business alike.

Managers, businesses, and investors all realise the effectiveness and necessity of digital transformation to further promote tourism development, especially amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Digital transformation has given a facelift to global tourism and the Vietnamese tourism industry.

Nguyen Quynh Tram, Google Country Director for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, said a survey in late August from Google showed that Vietnamese people were the most optimistic about tourism trends in Southeast Asia. 

In the context of limited travel, Vietnamese people choose to travel online via videos. This shows that digital platforms have the potential to inspire visitors to travel and stimulate tourism demand./.