Digital connection to enhance Da Nang destination

*Many solutions to connect with OTAs to increase the attractiveness of Da Nang destination. Photo: VAN HOANG*

The extended arm of the tourism industry

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Tham, Director of Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center, OTA is becoming an effective sales, promotion and market research channel.

Platforms such as Traveloka, Klook, Booking, Agoda, etc. not only sell products but also help promote, position and spread the Da Nang destination brand to global tourists.

For example, Agoda listed Da Nang among the top 10 Asian cities with the most return visitors. Or on the upcoming National Day holiday, Booking.com reported that Da Nang is one of the most chosen destinations by tourists after Hanoi .

Although the city’s tourism industry has just approached OTA platforms, it has signed many cooperation agreements to jointly implement tourism stimulus programs. According to reports, the Da Nang destination brand has seen growth in searches, tourists, etc.

OTA platforms regularly share data and analyze customers, thereby helping the tourism industry develop appropriately to meet the needs of each customer market. This is also one of the urgent requirements in the face of current customer trends.

*Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Tham, Director of Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center, shared about the orientation of the city's tourism industry at the event. Photo: VAN HOANG*

From a business perspective, Ms. Nguyen Thi Uyen Na, Director of Online Business, Vietnam Travelmart Joint Stock Company in Da Nang, believes that OTA is the "global window" of the tourism industry.

OTAs play an important role in reaching global customers and promoting services. They are a bridge of information, providing market data and marketing strategies; collecting reviews and building online reputation.

“OTAs are effective marketing channels that help us introduce products to global customers, on a large scale and at relatively low cost. Through the market data provided by OTAs, businesses can grasp the trends, habits, and consumer behavior of customers; thereby, they can adjust their business strategies accordingly,” Ms. Na analyzed.

According to Ms. Uyen Na, the system of reviews, feedback, and customer evaluations on OTAs is an important asset to build the reputation of the business's products. From there, perfecting products and services to enhance the experience and meet the needs of customers.

Building a long-term strategy

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Tham said that the current coordination with OTAs is still fragmented and lacks a long-term strategy. Some shared data is not open, many small and medium enterprises are still hesitant about commission costs on OTAs. To make the most of OTAs, the city's tourism industry has proposed 5 groups of solutions.

In particular, strengthening strategic cooperation through developing specific annual plans; expanding cooperation orientation to heritage products, green tourism, and "body - mind - spirit" health care according to market needs.

In addition, promote events and festivals, deploy digital campaigns before and during major events on OTA such as: Da Nang International Fireworks Festival, Da Nang Enjoy Festival... to create strong and continuous resonance effects.

At the same time, it is recommended that OTA provide API (data portal) so that local businesses can analyze and position the market more accurately; support small and medium enterprises by organizing training courses, instructing on how to put products on OTA, and optimizing communication.

In addition, we coordinate with KOLs and travel bloggers to create practical experience chains, aiming at new forms of communication with in-depth content to spread the image of Da Nang to domestic and international tourists.

According to Mr. Cao Tri Dung, interim Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association, OTA platforms account for an increasingly large market share. If travel businesses do not transform and keep up with the trend of e-commerce and digital business, it will lead to many challenges in the development process.

In recent times, the Da Nang Tourism Association has continuously organized many seminars to discuss the opportunities and challenges of travel businesses in the new context. Reality shows that those units that know how to adapt and have the right orientation can completely accompany and develop with the explosion of OTA.

Suppliers’ mono products can be directly connected to OTAs. However, to bring products to OTAs, the role of travel agencies is still very important. For products that require organization and operation such as package tours, travel combos, new products, and market leadership, OTAs still need the participation of local travel agencies.

“We highly appreciate the role of OTA in supporting businesses, especially service providers and traditional travel companies, to develop together sustainably,” Mr. Dung affirmed.

Mr. Tan Van Vuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang, also said that in the context of increasingly personalized tourism, tourists use social networks, OTAs and digital platforms to search for services, travel businesses are forced to restructure their operations, clearly identify market segments, and build specific products to meet new needs.

However, along with opportunities come many challenges from developing in the digital environment. One of them is the situation of impersonating travel agencies and OTAs to scam tourists. The police also regularly warn and inform about forms of fraud so that people and tourists can take precautions.

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In the coming time, the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center will provide a list of reputable, public, and transparent OTAs on the city's tourism information portal; a hotline to support people and businesses in verifying the transparency of the platforms.
Mr. Tan Van Vuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang city

Source: https://baodanang.vn/ket-noi-so-de-nang-tam-diem-den-da-nang-3300462.html