Nghe An tourism strives for digital transformation

Thanks to digital transformation, tourists will experience convenient tourism products, resort services, classy and memorable entertainment activities...

Improve competitiveness

Digital transformation in the tourism sector began in 2018, based on the "Overall project on applying information technology in the tourism sector for the period 2018-2020, with a vision to 2025", the Prime Minister set a goal that Vietnam needs to prioritize the development of digital tourism and smart tourism. In 2020, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the roadmap was delayed, but from 2022, to recover the economy, the Government also determined to restart tourism activities and take digital transformation as a breakthrough, focusing on people and businesses.

Nghe An participates in the forum to stimulate tourism in the Central and Central Highlands provinces after the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Mr. Nguyen Manh Loi - Deputy Director of Nghe An Department of Tourism shared: In Nghe An, tourism is identified as a spearhead of the economy, so since the transition to the new normal state, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee has paid special attention and identified it as a priority task. Therefore, since 2022, based on the orientation of the General Department of Tourism, Nghe An Department of Tourism has consulted on building and submitting to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for approval the Nghe An Tourism Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2035, which aims to form a smart tourism ecosystem in Nghe An.

Recreating the image of Khue Van Cac (Hanoi) at Ho Tung Mau walking street - Vinh city. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Through the Covid-19 pandemic, more than anyone else, those working in tourism realize that digital transformation is both an urgent requirement and an inevitable trend for the current and future tourism industry. However, like other economic sectors, this is not an easy task. To do this, it is necessary to build and upgrade a synchronous and modern digital infrastructure system; build, create, store, process and exploit a centralized digital database for the tourism industry to serve industry management and user search needs...

Tourists visit and experience the tea island in Thanh Thinh commune, Thanh Chuong. Photo courtesy of Nghe An Newspaper (Mai Hoa)

Due to its low starting point, Nghe An prioritizes building a centralized digital database system and promoting and advertising tourism on digital media platforms such as social networks, tourism portals, and apps. The initial goal of Nghe An tourism digital transformation is to improve the effectiveness of state management, comprehensively operate tourism activities, promote tourism images, support tourists in preparing before, during and on their trips, in order to improve the quality of information and experience of tourists. Leading the way in tourism digital transformation is the hotel system of Muong Thanh Group, Vinpearl Cua Hoi , Saigontourist... These units have invested in building smart software and applications to promote, introduce, operate and manage their systems.

Thanks to the increasingly popular application of information technology, Nghe An tourism businesses have built, maintained and operated websites, social networking sites such as Facebook, Zalo, TikTok, ... to communicate, promote and serve tourism business activities. Not only that, through software, accommodation businesses and tour operators can interact, understand the psychology, behavior and needs of customers better, thereby introducing, promoting, and promptly adjusting products and services accordingly...

- Mr. Nguyen Duc Hien - General Director of Muong Thanh Song Lam Hotel, Chairman of Nghe An Tourism Association

Many challenges and difficulties

Mr. Nguyen Manh Loi - Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism added: Thanks to actively and proactively implementing digital transformation activities associated with smart tourism, awareness of digital transformation of tourism in the province has changed more clearly. Currently, the province has built and operated the Visitenghean Tourism Information Portal - a place to update information about locations and tourism products and services; at the same time, supporting investment in developing digital infrastructure at a number of tourist destinations such as broadcasting free wifi at public places in Cua Lo, Vinh City walking street ; applying 3D/360 ^o smart interactive tourism digital map technology at Kim Lien National Special Monument Site...

Nghe An provincial leaders press the button to launch the Smart Tourism Portal. Photo: BNA

Although some results have been achieved, the tourism industry in general and the digital transformation of Nghe An tourism in particular have not developed commensurate with their potential.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nam - Deputy Director in charge of the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion frankly said: Tourism products to be promoted and advertised well must first be complete, attractive and classy. Compared to other provinces, Nghe An still lacks truly classy "big guys" in tourism and many tourism products, so they are still unfinished in the potential form.

An experiential tourism activity at Sao Va waterfall, Que Phong district. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Except for the Muong Thanh Group's accommodation system, which has a brand name, most of the investment projects that create highlights for Nghe An tourism have not been completed (such as the cable car complex to Ngu Island, the project of Song Ngu Son Joint Stock Company on Lan Chau Island, the Thanh Chuong tea island project, Nghi Thiet tourist area); some tours, adventure tourism routes, and community tourism spots are still spontaneous, with limited infrastructure and service quality.

In fact, since 2021, the province has issued a project with policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises in digital transformation. There are over 150 tourism enterprises participating in the project, but due to difficulties in disbursement procedures, they have not yet been able to deploy smart software and applications. Training to improve digital transformation capacity for enterprises in general and tourism enterprises in particular has encountered many difficulties.

Representatives of small and medium enterprises from districts and towns in Phu Quy region participated in a training course organized by Nghe An Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center (NAPC). Photo: Nguyen Hai

Hopefully, in the coming time, the Ministry of Finance will have guidelines for businesses to build specialized software; at the same time, the province will build a smart tourism digital map. In addition, when Project 06 on population data is completed, citizen data on smartphones is synchronized with the national data system, the digital transformation of Nghe An tourism will be clearer.

- Mr. Nguyen Van Nam - Deputy Director in charge of the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion

Source: https://baonghean.vn/du-lich-nghe-an-no-luc-chuyen-doi-so-post273992.html