In Resolution 82/NQ-CP on key tasks and solutions to accelerate recovery and accelerate effective and sustainable tourism development, the Government requires effective implementation of investment resources for tourism promotion and advertising activities through the Tourism Development Support Fund; organize research and develop a Project to establish Vietnam Tourism Promotion Offices abroad, first of all in some key tourism markets.
Learn from competitors to do better
Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh, Head of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) Secretariat, said that it is necessary to change the way tourism is promoted to avoid the situation of "having money but not being able to spend it or not being effective". To effectively promote tourism, it is necessary to survey, research and evaluate each key market. We must understand what tourists need, what they want and how the tourism industry will approach it?... To do so, it is necessary to establish tourism promotion offices abroad, especially in key markets.
"At the end of 2021, Singapore conducted a survey on the needs of Vietnamese tourists, asking where they would like to go, what they would like to shop for if the COVID-19 pandemic ended... When tourism reopened, they immediately offered new tourism products to meet the needs and tastes after the pandemic. As a result, Vietnamese tourists flocked to Singapore," Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh cited.
According to businesses, it is possible to learn from markets that are the main competitors of the tourism industry such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. If Vietnam surpasses these three destinations, tourism can be at the top of ASEAN. Thailand and Singapore both have tourism promotion offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to attract Vietnamese tourists to their destinations.
Many opinions say that the current way of advertising and promoting tourism is no longer suitable and needs to be changed to attract tourists more effectively.
Obviously, there is a great need for a tourism promotion office to promote the market and research the needs and tastes of tourists. However, up to now, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has not had any official offices abroad. The programs to promote and promote tourism trade in foreign markets are still lacking and weak.
A representative of Vietnam Airlines said that the Tourism Authority of Thailand has 19 offices abroad and 7 offices in Southeast Asia alone. The Tourism Authority of Singapore also has 19 foreign offices in 7 regions, of which Asia accounts for the majority (including the office in Ho Chi Minh City).
"For the Chinese market alone, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has set up five representative offices and has implemented promotional campaigns aimed at attracting Chinese tourists. This helps Thailand confidently welcome 7-10 million Chinese tourists this year," said a representative of Vietnam Airlines.
For distant markets such as Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, the Thai tourism industry has also helped airlines increase charter flights, especially from secondary cities or areas without direct flights, to attract pent-up demand after the pandemic. Therefore, Vietnam needs to soon establish tourism promotion offices in key locations such as the US, Europe, Japan, Korea, China and India.
Lack of suitable products for each market
According to businesses, one of the weaknesses that need to be improved in the tourism industry today is the lack of unique products that meet the changing needs of customers after the pandemic such as shopping, spiritual, health care, adventure sports, etc.
Currently, international tourists tend to travel in small groups, focusing on the ecological environment and ensuring health. MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences) groups require destinations with good infrastructure and professional services.
Mr. Nguyen Chau A, General Director of Oxalis Company, said that countries like Thailand, Korea, Japan or China… always have a strategy to develop products suitable for the target market and then launch a promotional strategy focusing on each market. With this approach, they have spent their promotional budget effectively.
"In recent years, Vietnam tourism has done a good job in developing products for Asian markets such as Korea and China, but there are not many products that meet the needs of American and European markets. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly define a strategy for building tourism products suitable for the key markets being targeted, at the same time, build a methodical marketing strategy and a suitable sales system," said Mr. Nguyen Chau A.
With limited budget, the tourism industry can mobilize promotional resources within the business community, encourage the conversion of promotional models from businesses to foreign partner businesses, to the model from businesses to customers to directly reach tourists in the target market, thereby improving promotional effectiveness.
Telling the story of a recent survey trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, Mr. Nguyen Chau A noticed that many new, modern tourism models are being built and are gradually replacing traditional products. Mountain and stream resort models are being renewed with modern architecture but still in harmony with nature.
Adventure tourism products are also being restructured to reduce quantity and increase experience value. Therefore, to attract international visitors, Vietnam's destinations also need to change their products, services, and business models.
One of the bottlenecks of Vietnam in bringing tourism images to the world in recent times lies in the marketing stage. Mr. Pham Ha, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lux Group, said that in order to communicate effectively, it is necessary to define what Vietnam's national tourism brand is, cuisine, nature, culture or people? It is necessary to clearly position Vietnam's tourism products for tourists so that they can easily find and experience them.
Change slogan and reposition tourism
Many experts have suggested that the tourism promotional brand (slogan) for many years now, "Vietnam - Endless Beauty", also needs to be renewed after COVID-19. In fact, all countries have renewed their tourism slogans. It is necessary to reposition Vietnam's tourism industry through the logo and slogan and re-evaluate whether this brand is still suitable to start researching and changing in the new context.
Vietnam Airlines representative proposed that in the digital age, the Government needs to build a system to help share passenger data between state management agencies, airlines, hotels and travel agents to enhance customer experience, serve the upgrading and innovation of products and services to meet market needs.
(*) See Lao Dong Newspaper from issue dated May 26
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