Training the team to create experiences and retain tourists

With its efforts, Da Nang has risen to become the leading destination in Vietnam and the “gateway to the heritage of the Central region”. However, to maintain its competitive position, the core factors are service quality and tourism human resources - those who directly create experiences, retain and spread the destination brand.

Approximately more than 75% of workers in the tourism industry in Da Nang intend to stay long-term. Photo: DOAN HAO LUONG

Balanced, professional and dynamic workforce

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Da Nang currently has more than 2,300 tourist accommodation establishments with more than 66,000 rooms. Of which, 4, 5-star and equivalent accommodation establishments account for 47% of the total number of accommodation establishments in the area. The city is leading the country in the number of 4, 5-star accommodation establishments, demonstrating its capacity to welcome large-scale international guests, especially with more than 30 famous international brands such as Intercontinental, Hyatt, Novotel, etc.

The system of tourism facilities is increasingly complete. 4 and 5-star hotels have focused on investing in auxiliary facilities such as warm water swimming pools, children's play areas, spas, saunas, etc. to meet the long-term vacation needs of tourists. Notably, in 2025, there will be about 100 4 and 5-star hotels with more than 23,000 rooms with experience in welcoming and serving guests from the CIS market (Commonwealth of Independent States).

Da Nang's tourism human resources currently have about 80,000 workers and will increase by about 3,000 workers by 2026, of which nearly 60% work at 4-5 star hotels and about 70% of workers have received professional training and are fluent in English.

Many units have proactively recruited employees who can communicate in Russian or organized internal Russian language training to better serve the group of customers coming from the CIS market. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proactively organized many activities to improve professional capacity and skills for tourism businesses in recent times.

Talking about the current status of human resources in Da Nang tourism, Mr. Tran Kim Tho, General Secretary of the Da Nang Hotel Association, said that Da Nang's advantage is a balanced labor structure, with experienced generation X combined with dynamic and technology-savvy generation Y and generation Z. In particular, the majority of workers have a high love for their jobs, of which 75% of the staff are determined to stay long-term, creating a solid foundation for training and development.

However, the city still faces some difficulties such as: lack of competent and experienced middle managers; limited foreign language skills, soft skills and service mindset; frontline personnel are not standardized, making it difficult to adapt to the trend of sustainable tourism, smart tourism, and personalized experiences.

Synchronize solutions from standardization, training, and connection

In 2026, it is expected to open more direct flights from the Russian Federation and CIS countries to Da Nang with a frequency of about 70 flights/month with more than 10,000 passengers, double that of 2025. The proportion of 4 and 5-star hotels participating in serving this market will increase to 70 - 80% of the total number of 4 and 5-star hotels currently in the area, contributing to expanding the capacity to welcome guests and diversifying the city's high-end tourism products, shifting towards guests with high spending ability. In 2026, the city is expected to put into operation about 2,000 more 4 and 5-star hotel rooms.

To improve the quality of services to meet the tastes and expectations of tourists from this region, Ms. Le Thi Ai Diep, Head of the Department of Accommodation Management, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that the department will continue to promote the training of high-quality human resources, especially in coordination with tourism training establishments, basic Russian language training for reception staff, room service staff, and restaurant staff. In addition, coordinate with tourism establishments to open specialized classes to meet the task of serving Middle Eastern and CIS guests; at the same time, pay attention to the training orientation of Russian tour guides to ensure the quantity and quality of service.

“In 2026, we will strengthen quality management and technical support for tourism service businesses through the implementation of a set of Muslim-friendly tourism criteria, not only applied to accommodation establishments but also to restaurants, tourist attractions, shopping facilities, and entertainment areas, ensuring consistency in the tourist experience, while conducting a general survey of infrastructure facilities serving CIS guests.

For tourism businesses, we recommend continuing to pay attention to research to better understand each CIS customer group in terms of age, taste, travel style, popular travel times as well as special needs in terms of language, cuisine, culture, beliefs, improving service capacity and standardizing service quality," Ms. Diep shared.

According to Mr. Tran Kim Tho, the Da Nang tourism industry needs to strengthen its management and leadership force, especially focusing on the middle management team because this is the key force in operating hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies. They need to have a deep understanding of the destination and local culture; a positive attitude, professional skills...

It is necessary to shape tourism human resources as “destination ambassadors” who both serve customers and promote the brand and destination. In particular, build a set of standards for tourism competencies in Da Nang according to ASEAN standards, create a “common yardstick” for recruitment, training, and assessment; promote on-site practical training, combine soft skills in handling situations, cross-cultural communication, and teamwork.

“Human resources are the key to sustainable development of Da Nang tourism. A team that is both skilled, has leadership, foreign languages ​​and technology, and is also a “destination ambassador” - that is the factor that retains tourists, spreads the brand and helps Da Nang make a breakthrough. If we synchronize solutions from standardization, training, connection, to technology, we can confidently build a new Da Nang, where each tourism human resource is an ambassador, each service is a memorable experience,” Mr. Tho emphasized.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/dao-tao-doi-ngu-kien-tao-trai-nghiem-va-giu-chan-du-khach-3309318.html