Digital transformation to develop smart tourism

The project “Application of Industry 4.0 technology to develop smart tourism, promoting tourism to become a spearhead economic sector” is considered one of the important goals of the tourism industry. Recently, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has urgently implemented the project to improve service quality, promote tourism, and manage local resources.

Smart travel applications serve the increasing needs of tourists.

Enhance visitor experience

Applying technology to develop a smart tourism ecosystem to meet the increasing needs of tourists in the digital age, supporting effective connections between state tourism management agencies, businesses, tourists and related entities.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the tourism industry is implementing the project on the following aspects: Completing institutions, policies and laws on smart tourism development, digital data systems, information technology infrastructure, as well as training and developing human resources.

In particular, focus on promoting tourism on tourism information pages and smart tourism applications.

Specifically, the Vinh Long Tourism Electronic Information Portal and Smart Tourism Application were built and put into use, with over 8.6 million visits. The Ben Tre Smart Tourism Application had over 5 million visits and the Tra Vinh tourism information page had over 19 million visits.

Electronic information pages and smart tourism applications have updated features of new technology applications to serve readers, including: information introducing destinations, digital maps, 360 VR virtual tours, automatic explanations, photo libraries, videos, etc. ensuring necessary data to meet tourists' information needs.

VR 360 virtual tours with automatic commentary are applied at many relics in Vinh Long. Illustrative photo AI

A highlight in the project implementation is that the province is interested in building an electronic trading floor for tourism businesses, travel agencies, restaurants, hotels, and OCOP product manufacturing facilities to post their offers on the electronic trading floor, aiming to diversify shopping services for tourists when visiting Vinh Long.

Expanding tourism promotion channels by taking advantage of the positive aspects of social networking platforms to reach many international tourist markets such as Facebook, Zalo OA, TikTok Xu Dua Ben Tre, TikTok Vi Vu Vinh Long, etc.

In addition to information pages under the management of state tourism agencies, tourism service businesses are very interested in communicating via the internet and on social networking platforms.

Mr. Pham Van Thanh - sales staff of Ben Tre Riverside Resort (Ben Tre ward) shared that digital transformation is one of the trends and digital tools used to serve the needs of customers and enhance their experience. Nowadays, tourists can book rooms online anytime, anywhere.

In addition to operating its own website, it also focuses on posting information on the province's smart tourism page, the tourism promotion center's page, and actively promoting on social networks to connect and spread information domestically and internationally.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism closely coordinated with the Provincial Police to implement regulations to protect national security and social order and safety in the tourism sector. Accommodation establishments in the area have registered and declared their accommodation online through the management software deployed by the Ministry of Public Security.

In addition, businesses and tourism service providers are encouraged to participate in digital transformation and apply operational management software to comply with the law, optimize operational efficiency and improve service quality.

Affirming the position of smart tourism

The project "Application of Industry 4.0 technology to develop smart tourism, promoting tourism to become a spearhead economic sector" was deployed at the end of 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a difficult period for the tourism industry in orienting development after a long period of "hibernation" and significantly affecting the demand for direct tourism tours of tourists.

The project has oriented the tourism industry of provinces and cities to build and orient future communication strategies in an industrial and modern direction.

Promoting digital transformation contributes to promoting tourism.

The search for tourist markets is expanded and many sources of information are accessed to serve communication work, build a digital data system on tourism resources and provide good support in local state management of tourism.

In order to prepare a good digital database of the tourism industry to ensure connection and integration with the general information and management data system of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the province proposed that the National Tourism Administration soon issue a framework and technical requirements for the general information and data system so that provinces and cities can apply it to build local information systems to ensure sufficient conditions when required to integrate and connect with the ministry's shared system.

The convenience of technology helps spread tourism images quickly and widely.

Mr. Duong Hoang Sum - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, striving to achieve the goal of tourism becoming an important economic sector by 2030, the tourism industry faces many challenges and still has much to do, especially continuing to increase the proportion of direct and indirect contributions to the province's GRDP, striving for tourism to contribute 6-7% of the province's GRDP (currently about 4% GRDP).

In addition, improving professionalism and developing a synchronous and modern technical infrastructure system; diversifying and improving the quality of tourism products, competing with other provinces in the region and the whole country is a huge task for the tourism industry in the coming years, requiring the attention, leadership, direction, organization and implementation of the entire political system and breakthrough solutions.

In the future, with support from the government, businesses and the community, combined with the power of modern technology, Vinh Long tourism is expected to develop sustainably, integrate deeply, and affirm its position on Vietnam's smart tourism map.

Mr. Duong Hoang Sum - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism: In the coming time, it is necessary to innovate tourism promotion methods based on the power of technology. Build a "smart tourism" ecosystem, a tourism database; take advantage of the utilities of technology associated with providing information and meeting the needs of tourists. Connect tourism services, strengthen state management related to the tourism sector associated with technology.

Article and photos: PHUONG THU

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/xa-hoi/202510/chuyen-doi-so-de-phat-trien-du-lich-thong-minh-b74050c/