In an era where travellers seek meaningful and immersive experiences, the concept of experiential tourism has gained tremendous popularity.

Experiential travel is a form of tourism in which people focus on experiencing a country, city or particular place by connecting to its history, people and culture.

Many tourists prefer to rest and relax at healthcare locations after a day of travelling. IN PHOTO: Tourists experience massage services at the Son Tra Night Market. Photo: NHAT HA

Grasping the trend, tourism service providers across Da Nang have been focusing on improving service quality, aiming at bringing customer many meaningful experiences. Many tourists enjoy using healthcare packages to restore their health and beauty after a day of travelling and going sightseeing at many different locations.

After a day of visiting some tourist attractions in the city and walking a lot on local streets, Mrs. Kim Hyun Yoen, a native of South Korea, rewarded herself with a foot massage service at the Son Tra Night Market.

The South Korean tourist said that relaxing in the scent of aromatic oils, and watching people walking and going shopping were also quite interesting experiences on her trip this time.

According to some staff working in healthcare and rehabilitation services at the market, tourists, especially international visitors on long trips with continuous sightseeing schedules, often have to move and walk a lot, so massage salons often provide foot, neck, and shoulder massage services to bring relaxation and comfort to guests.

Quickly catching up with new trends in the tourism industry and always trying to find new directions, the An Spa, located on September 2 Street, welcomes a daily average of about 250-300 visitors who experience healthcare services. During peak tourist season or when the city has big events, the facility receives about 400-500 visitors every day.

General Director of the Viet An Group JSC Nguyen Thanh Tam who is the owner of the An Spa, assessed that tourist trends have changed a lot, so current tourism experience services in Da Nang have also been making significant strides in meeting consumer needs. In particular, when international markets are resuming, many tourism firms are concentrating on increasing service quality to bring the best experiences to customers.

Experiential activities for tourists in Da Nang are quite diverse, from exploring cultural heritage to trying local cuisine and enjoying entertainment and luxury relaxation services.

Developing new tourist destinations, upgrading infrastructure and providing high-quality services has helped Da Nang attract a large number of international tourists.

However, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam stressed the need for healthcare service providers to regularly improve service quality and create unique and different tourism experiences to attract and retain customers.

“At the An Spa, aside from improving infrastructure and services aimed at specific customers, we lay emphasis on facilitating our staff to take part in English and other foreign language courses to provide more professional and friendlier services for all customers” he remarked.

For example, with South Korean and Chinese customers, the facility researches and understands their needs and preferences to build suitable products and services, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam shared.

According to Deputy Director of the Hai Van Cat International Travel JSC Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Da Nang has invested heavily in developing experiential products after COVID-19 to create a convenient and attractive tourism environment for tourists. Such services as sewing ‘ao dai’, trying on ‘ao dai’, taking check-in photos with ‘ao dai’, and experiencing local cuisine are being preferred by many tourists.

However, Mr. Thien underlined the necessity for service providers to change themselves in order to meet the actual needs of customers, bring the best experiences for them, and provide accurate information and advice, and flexible services suitable to customers' schedules.

Special attention should be paid to applying technology to increase interaction with customers, as well as creating a unique and personalised experience by forming small group tours to experience local cultural or on-site service activities at destinations, aiming to bring difference and satisfaction to customers.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, to bring tourists different experiences and keep them coming back, local service providers need to strengthen service promotion and marketing activities on possible online channels, website, and social network, as well as cooperate with travel partners to introduce services to potential customers.

Along with that, importance should be attached to creating a unique and different experience such as using typical local therapies or creating a relaxing and peaceful space for customers to enjoy.

Reporting by NHAT HA - Translating by M.DUNG, T.TUNG