Not a small problem of Vietnam tourism

At a recent conference on customer satisfaction when experiencing Vietnam tourism, according to experts and businesses, the toilet issue has been a headache for those working in tourism in the region, especially in our country, for many years.

At first glance, this may seem like a small matter, but it is not. Just look at the annual ASEAN Tourism Awards to see this, as the selection committee had a hard time finding a candidate for the "ASEAN Public Toilet" award, while in the remaining categories, the application files of the units are always thick.

In 2023, our country will have only three toilets that meet the standards to be awarded the ASEAN Tourism Award… This story reflects the reality, because the lack of standard toilets in tourist destinations and public spaces in Vietnam is an undeniable reality.

Not far away, right in the two largest and most modern tourist centers in the country, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, we can see the shortage, overload, and degradation of public toilets. In early 2023, through the survey results of 69 tourist centers around the world by QS Supplies (a company selling toilet equipment based in the UK), the two most populous cities in our country were named in the list of tourist destinations with the worst toilet conditions.

Specifically, Hanoi ranked 66/69 and Ho Chi Minh City ranked 67/69, only higher than the two cities of Johannesburg (South Africa) and Cairo (Egypt). Walking on the streets, train stations, bus stations, parks, etc., you will have to look hard to find public toilets, and some places, if they do exist, are quite unhygienic, affecting the urban beauty.

In many places, toilets are not maintained, serviced or cleaned regularly, leading to many things being damaged and dirty. Therefore, the inevitable consequence is that some tree roots, electric poles, alleys, etc. suddenly become "black spots for waste discharge". In big cities, this is the case, and in localities developing tourism, the situation is of course not any better.

It is worth mentioning that not only public spaces, but also famous tourist destinations in our country lack standard toilet systems. Many places invest heavily in landscapes, check-in points, passenger transportation, etc., but "forget" the very essential need of toilets.

Many large tourist areas attract a large number of visitors, but the toilets are cramped, small, lack paper, leak water, even have no water, not to mention dirty, smelly, or completely unusable. A recent survey by a group of experts from the Institute for Tourism Development Research, based on records from tourism businesses in Hanoi, Thua Thien Hue, and Quang Nam, showed that up to 55% of visitors responded that the waste collection system and toilets at world cultural heritage sites are not good. The category of toilets for tourists is generally still at the bottom of the priority list.

Tourism products are a chain, a connection of many different services and links to bring a complete experience to customers. Therefore, if just one link has a problem, the entire value chain will be affected. No matter how beautiful the landscape is, how delicious the food is, how professional the reception is... it will lose points if the "urgent needs" of individuals are not met, not to mention giving a negative impression to customers. It can be said that the story about toilets is actually not a small problem, because it directly affects the emotions, state as well as the desire to continue experiencing the travel journey of customers.

Looking at countries with developed tourism, while Japan has successfully built and exploited a unique tour to learn about the system of smart, modern, artistic toilets; Singapore has legal regulations on basic minimum design standards for toilets to solve public health problems; Thailand has made its mark with its high-quality public toilet ecosystem..., Vietnam is still struggling to complete the standard toilet system in public spaces and tourist attractions.

It is said that the appearance of public toilets is not only a measure of the quality of human life but also one of the criteria for evaluating the class of a tourist destination.

To enhance the competitiveness of Vietnam tourism and improve customer satisfaction, the necessary and urgent issue is to complete the infrastructure, including the public toilet system, to at least meet the criteria of being sufficient for demand and clean to keep up with the growth rate of tourist arrivals; in addition, it is necessary to have a comprehensive and synchronous strategy and planning for the construction, repair, exploitation and operation of toilet systems in public spaces and tourist attractions in a reasonable manner, on the basis of mobilizing social resources, raising awareness and consciousness of destination management units as well as people and tourists in operating and using public toilet spaces...

Source: https://nhandan.vn/chuyen-tuong-nho-ma-khong-nho-post838861.html