08:36, 28/05/2023
The continued sharp decline in tourist arrivals after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed is posing an urgent question for the tourism industry in the Central Highlands and Central Vietnam: Do the tourism products and services that have been developed for a long time really meet the needs of tourists? Is there a need for a more serious reform in tourism activities in the provinces and cities?
Reality does not match potential
In the past two months, the tourism industry of Thua Thien - Hue and Da Nang has been assessing and reviewing the issues of organizing tourism and welcoming tourists in the area. The incident where the Hue Monuments Conservation Unit had to apologize to tourists for the delay in selling tickets for the April 30 and May 1 holidays is an alarm about the ability to meet customer needs. Da Nang tourism is also organizing a campaign to collect opinions from tourists to improve the quality of products and services in the coming time. Thinking about tourism in Dak Lak and the Central Highlands, the question of whether tourists are satisfied must be mentioned again.
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| Tourists experience white water rafting at the Drai Nur - Gia Long waterfall cluster. Photo: Huu Hung |
A tourism consultant shared that at any seminar or conference on tourism in the Central Highlands, the message of “land with rich cultural and tourism potential” is always mentioned, but almost immediately afterwards, localities admit that tourism exploitation is “not worthy of its potential”. This situation has happened many times, but no locality has found a solution. How to enhance the value and image of tourism in all regions in conjunction with the ability to meet the needs of tourists is always a troubling question.
Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thua Thien - Hue, acknowledged that the current situation is inadequate due to the internal investment and improvement of the local tourism environment. It can be imagined that the tourism industry of each province and city has a development strategy and very systematic projects. However, the implementation of those projects and strategies, related to specific products and services, is perhaps still confusing for localities. Management levels coordinating with units in the industry only provide general outlines and exploitation orientations, but do not focus on specific products and mechanisms. Therefore, the tourism industry will only be able to welcome and invite general tourist groups, without having suitable tour themes that satisfy customers; as a result, specific service quality criteria are not achieved as expected.
“What do tourists need, what are their demands, has this been raised by tourism agencies, especially management agencies and tourism associations? Furthermore, have tourism products that meet which type of tourists, when, and how, been thoroughly researched? When all tourists are “leveled” equally, how can we have tourism products that are invested in meticulously and carefully!”, a representative of the Da Nang Tourism Association confided. Not really understanding tourists is the main reason why local tourism activities are forever “not worthy of their potential”.
Try to understand the visitors!
Mr. Phan Thanh Hai commented that basically, tourists can be classified into three main groups: high-standard tourists, traveling in small groups with a theme, needing quality products and services; average tourists, also preferring to travel in small groups, with the purpose of experiencing local products; and mass tourists, traveling to relax their minds, depending on the occasion. The cost of these tourist groups is understandable to everyone. The problem is, can the local tourism industry classify these tourist groups to have appropriate behavior, meeting their needs well?
Compared to Dak Lak and the Central Highlands, tourism has long been purely oriented towards groups of tourists following tours and traveling with groups. Individual groups of tourists are almost not included in the product development scenario at tourist destinations. Even with group tourists, the research and communication of products to the right target audience is not enough, mainly "selling existing products", not suggesting the products that customers need to find so that there can be more investment and improvement policies.
Mr. Thai Hong Ha, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak, acknowledged that the management sector has long seen this problem. It is just that the classification of tourist groups is not convenient to organize, and it is afraid to avoid cultural conflicts in communication. However, Dak Lak tourism will certainly carry out this important reform, building product lines that will guide units in the sector to better approach tourist needs, and cannot subjectively launch products without understanding tourists. Especially with specific products, unique to local culture, such as tours to villages, gong culture, environmental culture, etc., it is very necessary to filter the right tourist groups at each time. Tourism cannot be limited to a few tours, inherent routes, and at each destination, nor can it just repeat existing products and programs forever. Innovating scenarios, renewing products, hitting the psychology, tastes, especially curiosity and interest of tourists, is the way the tourism industry should do.
Tourists come to Da Nang city not only to swim in the sea, not only to see the Dragon Bridge over and over again. Tourists coming to Hoi An cannot just walk around the old town forever. Tourists coming to Dak Lak need to have more new meeting places, traditional cultural experiences through new performances and presentations, to enjoy the finished products of agricultural tourism, nature tourism, culinary tourism, community tourism... For tourists to enjoy the strange feeling of the highland wind, or quietly sip the flavor of a cup of coffee brewed in season, it is a whole understanding of tourists by the tourism industry, so that tourism can reach new heights!
Thuy Bat Nhi
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