Training high-quality human resources to serve the development of tourism in Khanh Hoa

Urgent need for high quality human resources

As one of the country’s major tourist centers, Khanh Hoa welcomes millions of domestic and international visitors each year. In 2024, South Korean visitors alone reached more than 2.4 million; visitors from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, etc. also accounted for a significant proportion. However, according to experts, the quality of tourism human resources in the province is still limited.

Specifically, statistics show that more than 90% of tourism workers do not meet foreign language requirements; nearly 85% need additional training in professional skills. In fact, many travel and accommodation businesses are having difficulty recruiting staff who know Russian and Korean, forcing them to recruit foreign workers to serve customers. In addition, the communication skills, management skills, and soft skills of the workforce are also limited, failing to meet the increasing demands of the tourism service industry.

At the working session with the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province at the end of February 2025, Ms. Suramanathan - senior expert of Gratiya Company (a consulting unit on Khanh Hoa tourism development strategy for the period 2025-2030, with a vision to 2045) emphasized that to achieve the goal of welcoming more than 21 million overnight guests by 2030, Khanh Hoa tourism industry needs to develop a systematic human resource management strategy, while strengthening the connection between training institutions and labor-using enterprises.

Students of Pacific University during a practical session at InterContinental Nha Trang Hotel.

The role of training institutions in tourism human resource development

Khanh Hoa currently has a system of multidisciplinary universities and colleges related to tourism. One of the training units that plays an important role is the Pacific University - a higher education institution in Nha Trang city.

In recent times, Pacific University has focused on developing the Tourism and Hotel Management majors with training programs that meet national accreditation standards, are closely linked to practice, and are regularly updated with international trends. Students are able to practice and participate in internships at hotel systems, resorts, and travel companies right from their first year, contributing to the development of professional skills, improving foreign languages and professional manners.

In particular, the school is the first and only unit in Vietnam to implement specialized training in “Wellness Tourism” - a field with great potential for development. This is a trend that many countries in the world are interested in, opening up new job opportunities for students and contributing to the diversity of local tourism products.

A practical session of Wellness Tourism students at Pacific University.

In addition, Pacific University creates conditions for students to participate in diverse international programs, from studying abroad, academic exchange to cultural exchange at leading universities in the field of tourism in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand... Thereby, experiencing a multicultural environment, expanding knowledge and integration skills, helping students after graduation to adapt and meet the needs of the domestic and international labor market.

Close coordination between "State - School - Enterprise" is needed.

To solve the human resource problem, we cannot rely only on training facilities but need the synchronous participation of the entire system. The leader of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that the provincial tourism industry will continue to closely coordinate with universities and businesses to orient training in line with actual needs. In addition, businesses also need to proactively participate in the training process, receive interns, organize training and skills training for workers.

(Signing Ceremony of the Training and Recruitment Cooperation Agreement between Tui Blue Hotel and Pacific University)

Signing ceremony of the Agreement on Training and Recruitment Cooperation between Tui Blue Hotel and Pacific University.

Many experts suggest that Khanh Hoa should soon organize a specialized forum on tourism human resource development, thereby identifying specific human resource needs, strengthening links between training institutions and businesses, and encouraging workers to self-study and improve their professional qualifications and foreign languages.

Focusing on training high-quality human resources will be a solid foundation for Khanh Hoa tourism industry to not only achieve its set goals but also affirm its position as a classy destination in the region and the world.

UYEN NGUYEN

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/kinh-te/thong-tin-doanh-nghiep/202504/dao-tao-nguon-nhan-luc-chat-luong-cao-phuc-vu-phat-trien-du-lich-khanh-hoa-5f212bf/