To increase customer convenience and create business efficiency, tourism service providers, especially small and medium-sized ones, need to boost the application of technology in booking, payment, destination promotion, and product introduction.

Tourism service providers in Da Nang promote their images through QR applications and electronic devices at conferences and exhibitions. Photo: NGOC HA

Change and adaptation

Ms. Nguyen Thi My Trinh, CEO of the Bien Vang Hotel based in Son Tra District, said that after COVID-19, the needs and use of tourism services of tourists have changed a lot.

With the trend of popularising information technology, customers have chosen and accessed online services, from which, hotels have also promoted digital transformation to meet practical requirements.

Ms. Trinh shared that the application of technology in tourism service business brings many benefits. The most obvious is that the interaction between businesses and state management units is more transparent. The management of human resource mainly on software helps save time and costs.

"In particular, businesses can access customers much more conveniently. Previously, customers had to wait a long time to check in or check out, even during peak tourist season, customers had to wait 30-45 minutes to complete the procedure. Now, it takes them less than 1 minute to complete check-in procedures. The hotel also has a barcode scanning tool integrated with software including customer information, "in - out" time, price, and customer requests so it is easy to manage and quickly meet customer needs" said Ms. Trinh.

Similarly, to meet the increasing demand of customers for convenience and modern experiences, the Viet An Group and its member service facilities An Spa, Son Tra Marina and Aphrodite Cruise are constantly striving to apply technology to business operations.

General Director of Viet An Group Corporation Nguyen Thanh Tam said that the unit has built an online booking platform, allowing customers to easily make a reservation and cashless payments.

The Viet An Group has focused on building and developing social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, as well as regularly sharing images and videos of services within Viet An Group's ecosystem as well as attractive promotions to lure more customers.

"Digital transformation has helped Viet An Group reach a large number of potential customers, especially young people. Thanks to that, we have increased brand awareness and built trust with customers. As a result, Viet An Group's sales have grown significantly in recent times. Customers also expressed satisfaction with the convenient booking service and useful information shared on social media channels," Mr. Tam shared.

Need to promote digital technology utilities

According to Dr. Nguyen Phong Son, General Director of Neurond AI Company, online platforms and digital marketing tools allow tourism businesses to reach a wider global market. This is especially useful for small businesses to compete fairly and reach more customers without having to invest too much.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the tourism industry brings many outstanding utilities. For example, in customer service, the customer care chatbox operates 24/7, analyzes customer feedback, and supports booking and payment. With a regard to sales consulting, AI will predict customer needs, and build customer loyalty programs. As for marketing activities, AI will automatically create content: blogs, social networks, optimize advertising, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cam, Head of VNPAY Partnership Group in the central region, said that converting from cash payments to digital payments and digitizing other processes in the tourism industry will bring many important benefits, including improving customer experience, increasing customer attraction and expanding the market.

When businesses apply comprehensive digital transformation, from electronic contracts, digital signatures to diverse payment methods such as international payment cards and domestic QR codes, customers will have a seamless and continuous experience journey. Tourism businesses can cooperate with Online Travel Agency (OTA) platforms so that global customers can easily book hotels, choose travel services and pay online.

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Tan Thanh Tung, Deputy General Director of Vitraco Da Nang Company, proposed that the functional sector have a strategy for providing applications to fully exploit the city's tourism services such as smart tourism applications specifically for destinations, and applications introducing cuisine and culture.

According to Mr. Tung, tourism service businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones, have strongly transformed digitally in recent times. The problem is to provide applications to facilitate them to promote communication, improve business efficiency, and effectively exploit customer sources.

Reporting by NGOC HA - Translating by M.DUNG