Smart tourism affirms destination position

Applying technology to serve tourists visiting and learning about Dong Loc T-junction Relic Site ( Ha Tinh ).

Developing smart tourism ecosystem

According to experts, smart tourism is a tourism development model built on the basis of information and communication technology to enhance the experience and ensure security and safety for tourists. Using technology intelligently helps tourism activities become more modern, optimal, efficient, convenient, meeting the diverse needs of tourists, businesses, and state management agencies on tourism, towards sustainable development.

Analyzing the need to develop smart tourism associated with grasping and anticipating new tourism trends, including personalized tourism and independent tourism, Associate Professor Pham Hong Long (University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said that one of the tourism trends that will develop strongly in the coming time is personal tourism and independent tourism. More and more tourists are demanding to design their own, private itineraries, supported by tools such as Al, chatbots, and digital applications. In addition, many tourists, especially young tourists, often proactively search for information and design their own itineraries through digital platforms.

According to information from the Tourism Information Center (Vietnam National Administration of Tourism), promoting the application of Industry 4.0 technology to develop a smart tourism ecosystem, meeting the increasing needs of tourists in the digital age, supporting effective connections between state tourism management agencies, businesses and tourists is one of the important contents being promoted by the Vietnam Tourism industry and localities.

Currently, the shared digital platforms that form the basis for the smart tourism ecosystem in the industry have been developed and put into operation by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, including: Vietnam tourism database system; tourism statistical reporting software from the central to local levels; national tourism application "Vietnam Travel"; Viet Card - Smart tourism card; tourism management and business application; Vietnam tourism yellow pages; "online - interconnected - multimodal" electronic ticket system; multimedia explanation system.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong noted that for tourism, digital transformation is at the forefront, inevitable and objective. When applying digital technology, AI, and smart platforms, tourism will develop very quickly and sustainably, so localities need to attach importance to this solution to further enhance the value of destinations.

Enhance brand, increase destination competitiveness

Developing smart tourism not only contributes to improving the effectiveness of tourism promotion through promoting the application of modern digital technologies but also increases the attractiveness of tourism products, the quality of tourism services, and enhances the experience of tourists.

According to Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism Le Truong Hien Hoa, developing smart tourist destinations associated with building smart cities, currently over 360 outstanding tourism resources of the City have been updated on Google Earth and Google Map platforms. Products are also put on e-commerce trading floors such as Shopee, Traveloka...

The city has built a "3D/360 Smart Interactive Tourism Map of Ho Chi Minh City" (Map 3D/360) with a 3D/360 image system of over 100 attractive destinations such as cultural relics, museums, entertainment areas, conference centers, hotels...

Through this interactive tourist map, visitors anywhere can access the website https://map3d.visithcmc.vn/ to experience tourist destinations through realistic and vivid 3D/360 images and videos, thereby choosing suitable destinations to visit and experience.

Ho Chi Minh City is researching the construction of an Intelligent Tourism Operations Center (IOC); building a virtual tour guide system based on virtual reality and augmented reality systems, contributing to creating diverse experiences, enhancing the attractiveness of destinations, affirming the tourism brand of a vibrant city, achieving the goal of attracting 53.5 million visitors in 2025.

Similarly, focusing on applying technology, increasing access and providing information to tourists is the solution chosen by Binh Duong tourism (where there are many destinations suitable for eco-tourism, entertainment, and exploring historical sites that attract tourists on weekends, holidays, and Tet).

Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Duong province, Bui Huu Toan, said that the province has operated the website dulichbinhduong.org.vn. It provides tourists with a system of tours and travel agencies, accommodation locations, tour information; a list of famous relics and tourist attractions in the province in the form of 360-degree images. The Binh Duong Tourism Industry has QR-encoded many articles, tourism programs, tourism products and services to introduce and promote to tourists, promote tourism through social networks such as Facebook, Zalo...

In the Mekong Delta, one of the localities actively transforming digitally and gradually developing smart tourism is An Giang province. The province has launched the An Giang Smart Tourism Portal with the online address https://checkinangiang.vn. At the same time, the mobile application "Check-in An Giang" is deployed on Android and iOS operating systems.

These two platforms integrate multiple tourism databases such as entertainment venues, travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, shopping and sports centers as well as support tourists with information related to transportation, health and security.

An Giang Smart Tourism Portal also integrates virtual reality technology and multimedia content such as images, videos, 360-degree cameras and digital maps, helping visitors easily search for information, plan their trips, and connect entities operating in the tourism industry and enhance the visitor experience when coming to An Giang.

According to the leader of the Provincial Trade and Investment Promotion Center, the An Giang Smart Tourism Portal and the smart tourism application on mobile devices are highly appreciated for integrating many modern functions, including a smart virtual assistant that quickly and accurately responds to information of interest to tourists, while creating interactions between tourists, businesses and state management agencies. At the same time, the applications also support tourists to create suitable schedules based on information provided by tourists such as expected arrival time, preferences, means of transportation, etc., contributing to the rapid development of An Giang tourism, attracting over 9 million visitors in 2024.

Recently, a smart tourism product on a digital platform (VR360) about the Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site (where many important vestiges of the Oc Eo civilization, which flourished in the South from the 1st to the 7th century) was also launched, contributing to spreading the value of the site on the journey to build a dossier to nominate the Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site as a World Cultural Heritage, while also contributing to increasing the attractiveness of attracting tourists to come and experience the land of An Giang in the coming time.

According to Baotintuc

Source: https://baohoabinh.com.vn/276/200907/Du-lich-thong-minh-khang-dinh-vi-the-diem-den.htm