Human resources are a factor in which tourism businesses are interested, especially in the peak tourism period. Building human resources with good quality and sufficient quantity is one of the solutions to promote sustainable tourism development. Therefore, many businesses across Da Nang have actively recruited and trained their employees.

Staff of the Da Nang-based travel companies provide information to tourists at the Routes Asia 2022. Photo: THU HA

Self-training enterprises

For many years now, the Viet Nam Tourism and Transport Marketing Company (Vietravel) regularly organises training programmes to improve the quality of human resources.

According to Mr. Dang Nhu Da Thanh, the Deputy Director of the Da Nang branch of Vietravel, the regular organisation of training courses and knowledge tests for the staff contributes to maintaining working style as well as improving professional qualifications of those who often come into contact with tourists such as guides, customer care and marketing staff.

These training courses are often combined with many different contents. For instance, the guide staff is updated with new knowledge, policies, sharing experiences while on tour at home and abroad whilst sales staff are trained in communication and sales consulting skills, along with handling situations.

Mr. Dinh Viet Van Hai, the Vice Chairman of Da Nang Tourist Guide Association which is a trainer according to VTOS (Viet Nam Tourism Occupational Skills Standards), remarked that the association regularly holds training sessions for its members. Tourism activities, especially outbound tourism, have to be halted for a few years because of the COVID-19. If tour guides are neither updated with knowledge nor guide on tours for a long time, their skills and languages will fade away.

Therefore, the association regularly organises training courses on skills such as narrations in Vietnamese and English and group games. Besides, there are more training courses on introductive narrations on local tourist attractions and their surrounding spots. "Thanks to such regular and continuous training courses, the international tourist destinations reopened, the guide team confidently took their guests abroad without many obstacles.”,  said Mr. Hai.

Deputy Director of Hai Van Cat International Travel Company Nguyen Ngoc Thien shared that after the COVID-19 the travel trend of tourists has changed a lot and tourists are often more inclined to experience and relax, so tourists need to pay more attention to this issue.

Businesses not only sell service and accommodation packages but also bring travel experiences and emotions to tourists. If the staff is well-trained and professional, they will give tourists the best experience.

Enterprises are also very interested in training to improve the skills of their human resources. A tour guide takes visitors to the Marble Mountains special national scenic spot. Photo: T.H

Strengthening short-term training courses

According to the Da Nang Department of Tourism, by the end of 2022, over 35,000 employees had been working in the Da Nang tourism industry, an increase of 127% compared to the same period in 2021.

Human resources recovered equivalent to 69% compared to the same period in 2019, the time before COVID-19. As reported by Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Truong Thi Hong Hanh, along with the recovery rate of tourist markets, businesses have actively recruited a sufficient number of service workers.

However, after a long time being affected by the pandemic, a part of former employees of the tourism industry changed jobs or moved to another locality for resettlement.

Enterprises, therefore, found it difficult to recruit such job positions as managers, department heads, employees with good foreign language skills, customer care staff who can speak Korean, Chinese and Japanese. In addition, the salary and incentives for senior positions at tourism businesses in the city have not yet been really attractive.

In an effort to overcome difficulties in the supplying of high-quality human resources, hotels managed by international corporations have recruited foreign workers for the positions of senior managers and chefs.

For domestic hotel groups, they have been flexible to internally rotate personnel among other provinces and cities to hold managerial and departmental positions. Tourism and hotel businesses have actively implemented on-the-job training activities, cross-training staff of all departments. Some large companies have their own training centres for their employees such as Furama Resort Danang (IBH Academy), Muong Thanh Group and Sun Group.

Right from the beginning of 2023, the Da Nang Department of Tourism has organised 13 training courses for human resources in the tourism industry, with a focus on the contents businesses really need such as digital transformation knowledge, service thinking, technical skills, professional customer service attitude, tourism professional knowledge for tour guides, drivers and service staff.

In the coming time, there will be more training in fostering skills and professional service attitudes for employees working at food service establishments such as serving wine, practicing processing traditional regional Vietnamese food and Halal dishes for Muslims to meet the diverse needs of domestic and international tourists.

“The organisation of training and retraining for human resources in the tourism industry has been renewed both in terms of content and methods. The Department also encourages businesses to actively organise training in professional skills and foreign languages for their employees, "said Mrs. Hanh.

Reporting by THU HA - Translating by A.THU