In an effort to adapt to the latest technology trends and tourists' tastes, Da Nang’s tourism industry is making efforts to renew its tourism products and utilities, including digital transformation, in a bid to increase visitor numbers in the city.

A visitor is experiencing the ‘A Virtual Vacation in Da Nang’ VR360 Virtual Reality travel app to discover the beauty of Da Nang at a tourism conference in the city on January 5. Photo: THU HA

According to Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Truong Thi Hong Hanh, under the Da Nang government-adopted resolution on digital transformation in the city by 2025, with a vision towards 2030, the Department has actively developed a draft plan for digital transformation in tourism industry during the 2021-2025 period, with an orientation to 2030, with a focus on three pillars: digital government, digital economy and digital society.

Over the past time, the Department has been deploying a smart tourism monitoring system, perfecting the tourism industry's database, making suggestions to the municipal People's Committee about piloting smart travel cards, and launching a virtual tourism system, called ‘A Virtual Vacation in Da Nang’.

Most recently, the municipal Department of Tourism in collaboration with the Military-run telecommunications company Viettel Group have launched an e-commerce platform combined with virtual tourism exhibition. This is one of the solutions to help businesses reduce operation costs and increase revenue, whilst assist State-owned agencies to prevent tax collection losses and increase the efficiency of State management work.

The beneficiaries of the model are tourists, travel agents, State management agencies and service providers across the city.

The platform allows tourists to search for information about tourist destinations, hotels, tours, restaurants, etc. in a simple and convenient way, as well as pay online and interact with State-owned agencies and tourism support teams on social networking sites.  

In addition, the platform makes it convenient for tourism businesses in the management of hotel rooms, tourism services, bookings, suppliers and customers.

Moreover, visitors can visit the virtual booths at the virtual tourism exhibition, and contact booth owners to interact with the products. Expert guests can join online meetings, whilst businesses can set up virtual booths to introduce their products and services to customers.

In 2022, the e-commerce platform combined with virtual tourism exhibition will be free for transaction fees, advertising fees, and participation fees for any participating businesses.

Since early this year, training courses have been organised for tourism businesses to get acquainted, approach and bring products to the platform.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Linh, Deputy General Director of the Viettel Business Solutions, the e-commerce platform combined with virtual tourism exhibition is a global trend which has been applied by many famous tourist destinations. The platform is developed on a sustainable architectural foundation which is suitable for the specific requirements of Da Nang, and is personalized for all types of users such as tourists, tour guides, tourism businesses, travel service providers, and State management agencies.

“COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of life, including tourism activities, so digital transformation and digital technology application are considered to be the right way to help the tourism industry quickly adapt to new situations. This is also an innovative way for tourism businesses to access customer sources in order to promote tourism during the pandemic and bring great revenue to Da Nang, thereby leveraging the city's economic recovery and growth", emphasised Mr. Linh.

Mr Nguyen Duc Quynh, the Director General of Furama Resort cum Chairman of the Da Nang Hotel Association, said it was high time for tourism businesses and accommodation service providers to prepare for flexible and innovative solutions to gradually restore tourism activities.

He added digital transformation can be implemented in tourism activities by building a smart hotel and restaurant model, and developing a roadmap to support digital transformation for hotels, service providers, and restaurants citywide.

Mr Quynh stressed the need for tourism businesses in the city to connect with their partners to access application platforms from professional providers and have more preferential prices, as well as promote the technology application in marketing business activities, and the use of online platforms and online events.

He noted “Importance should be attached to digitizing the entire human resource management system and human resource management system on the cloud platform soon, and simplifying administrative personnel procedures with mobile and web application platforms. Also, work and service quality management solutions should be implemented through coordination and interaction between departments, from employees to senior managers through applications”.

Mrs. Truong Thi Hong Hanh echoed that sentiment and highlighted the significance of the recently-launched e-commerce platform in helping businesses market their products and services, and approach customers easily and conveniently in time of COVID-19.

“For time to come, more tourism promotion activities will be organised through the Tourism Portal, the DanangFantasticity app, etc. The Department will organize training courses on digital transformation for city-based tourism businesses, and its officials and employees, as well as will continue to connect with experts and businesses in the field of digital transformation to support local tourism businesses” noted Mrs Hanh.

Reporting by NHAT HA - Translating by M.DUNG