International tourists at the world nature heritage Ha Long Bay (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Government, management agencies, localities and travel agencies have drawn up long-term roadmaps to accelerate post-pandemic recovery of the tourism industry.
According to insiders, the global tourism is forecast to strongly recover when the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.
Chairman of Lux Group Pham Ha, who owns a luxury resort service ecosystem, said Vietnam should build the national brand as a heritage destination, considering the large number of recognised heritage items in the country.
Vietnam boasts 39 tangible or intangible heritage items, including eight world heritage sites recognized by UNESCO, 12 intangible cultural heritages, seven documentary heritages, nine world biosphere reserves and three global geoparks.
The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the Ha Long Bay, the Complex of Hue Monuments, the Hoi An Ancient Town, the My Son Sanctuary, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Ho Dynasty Citadel, and the Trang An Scenic Landscape complex are the “magnets” that attract international visitors and can make Vietnam an attractive destination, Ha said.
Since 2014, Vietnam's tourism industry has repeatedly been named at prestigious world-class awards. The number and value of prizes have also increased exponentially.
2019 and 2020 can be considered explosive years for Vietnam's tourism industry. For the first time, Vietnamese tourism surpassed candidates around the world to be honoured as the prestigious "World's Leading Heritage Destination" in the two consecutive years at the World Travel Awards (WTA).
At the beginning of 2021, the Golden Bridge of Sun World Ba Na Hills KDL in the central city of Da Nang continued to boost Vietnam's name when it was voted among the "New Wonders of the World" by the Daily Mail Magazine (UK). Two of Vietnam’s most famous tourist cities, Hanoi and Hoi An, continue to be ranked 6th and 11th by TripAdvisor among the world's 25 most famous destinations in 2021.
Miss H'Hen Nie took a photo at Son Doong cave. (Photo: contributor/ VietnamPlus)
After a decade, a series of prestigious awards and rankings by Tripadvisor, Rough Guides, CNN, and the World Travel Awards have brought Vietnam global coverage.
In the 10-year socio-economic development strategy for the 2021-2030 period, Vietnam is set to promote restructuring of the tourism sector, international integration and connection between the industry and other sectors with the target of developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector.
Vietnam aims to welcome 47-50 million international visitors by 2030. The non-smoke industry is expected to account for 14-15 percent of the national GDP.
A view of the Hoi An Ancient Town (Photo: contributor/VietnamPlus)
Heritage tourism is hoped to become a platform to help the green economic sector quickly recover from the COVID crisis.
To realise this goal, travel agencies have been advised to speed up application of digital technology in their business and promotion activities.
Ha said his firm has been digitized with standard processes being established.
Thanks to virtual reality technologies, Lux Group can easily analyze markets and tourists' preferences, thus developing a “big data” system about the demand of foreign travel agencies, he noted.
Cloud computing technology will accompany Vietnam's tourism in the future, so travel firms should promote digital transformation as soon as possible, Ha stressed.
Not only businesses, tourism management agencies and localities have also paid attention to making changes in this difficult time.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung (Photo: VietnamPlus)
For example, Hanoi has applied digital solutions to attract visitors. The Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre introduced a virtual exhibition, while Hoa Lo Prison historical relic site launched an exclusive radio channel on Spotify to help audiences learn more about history in an easier and more interesting way.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has worked with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and VNAT’s Tourist Information Centre to develop and put useful technological products into operation in order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure safety for visitors.
At a recent meeting with representatives of the VNAT, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung also emphasised the need to take specific measures in order to uphold the value of heritage through tourism./.
