Improve the visitor experience at the destination

The opening of the Main Hall to visitors has contributed to enhancing the cultural experience for visitors to the Lam Kinh National Special Historical Site.

One of the most obvious changes in Thanh Hoa tourism is the improvement of transport infrastructure and accommodation services. In recent years, the road, railway and air systems connecting Thanh Hoa with major economic centers such as Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City have been upgraded synchronously. Tho Xuan Airport has been invested in expansion, increasing domestic flights, contributing to creating favorable conditions for tourists to Thanh Hoa. In addition, the system of 3-5 star hotels and resorts is constantly being invested, with the appearance of many large corporations such as Sun Group, FLC, Flamingo , VinGroup... contributing to improving the accommodation experience and creating a more professional image for tourism in the province.

However, to improve the tourist experience in each destination, factors such as service attitude, tour organization, route, tour guide professionalism, or friendliness from the local community play an important role. Mr. Nguyen Minh Tri, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, shared: “I have been to Thanh Hoa many times before, but each time I come back it feels different. The most noticeable thing is that the friendliness of the people, hotel staff or service providers at coastal tourist areas has clearly improved. There is no longer the situation of soliciting or forcing prices or forcing customers like before. In particular, new destinations such as Bai Dong, Pu Luong or Cam Luong fish stream have brought very natural, rustic and attractive experiences."

One of the clear marks in the current tourism approach at destinations is the encouragement of community tourism development associated with local cultural identity. The Ma village community eco-tourism area (Thuong Xuan commune), But village community tourism area... are typical examples. Although newly developed in recent years, many households have boldly invested in homestays, restaurants, and actively participated in training courses on tourism skills, communication skills, ensuring food hygiene and safety... Thanks to that, visitors here can immerse themselves in local cultural values, eat rustic dishes, participate in traditional festivals and explore life in a genuine way.

Along with that, Thanh Hoa also focuses on preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage, considering this a highlight that creates a difference in the tourist experience journey. Cultural destinations such as: Thanh Nha Ho, Nua - Am Tien Temple, Lam Kinh, Ba Trieu Temple... are invested in and restored, combined with technology applications such as virtual reality, automatic commentary... to help increase the attractiveness and interaction for visitors. Traditional festivals such as: Lam Kinh Festival, Le Hoan Temple Festival, Nua - Am Tien Temple Festival, Ba Trieu Temple Festival... are also gradually becoming unique cultural "meeting places", creating conditions for tourists to experience local culture, not only stopping at "watching" but also being able to participate in experiencing activities in the festival.

However, in addition to positive results, improving tourism experiences at destinations still faces many challenges, especially the unevenness in service quality between tourist areas and spots; the situation of "crowded but not fun" in the peak season still occurs in some coastal tourist areas, or the situation of overlapping experiences in community eco-tourism areas. Therefore, promoting digital transformation in tourism management, building a synchronous database, applying digital maps and field reflection technology to monitor service quality is receiving special attention from State management agencies. In addition, the province also encourages businesses to invest in green, environmentally friendly tourism products and increase unique experiences such as: adventure tourism, trekking, sea sports, healing tourism...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, Deputy General Director of GBest Vietnam Joint Stock Company (Hanoi), commented: “Thanh Hoa is having many positive changes in improving tourism experiences. From investing in infrastructure, focusing on training human resources, to expanding tourism products associated with local cultural characteristics. However, what we expect most is a systematic, long-term tourism development strategy, avoiding hot development, copying, and lack of sustainability. In particular, there needs to be a coordination mechanism between businesses - government - people to build a dynamic, civilized, professional and friendly tourism environment, contributing to improving the experience of tourists."

It can be said that tourism is not only a key economic sector but also an effective channel to promote the cultural identity and people of Thanh Hoa to domestic and international tourists. Therefore, improving the experience is not just a short-term story of each destination, but needs to be identified as a long-term strategy, requiring consensus, investment and real commitment from all levels, sectors, businesses and the community. In addition, the formation of tourist support service centers and a public and transparent service quality assessment system also need to be focused on by the province to "build" trust and peace of mind for tourists when choosing Thanh Hoa as a destination in their journey to explore Vietnam.

Article and photos: Le Anh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/cai-thien-trai-nghiem-cua-du-khach-tai-diem-den-256750.htm