Introducing Phuoc Tich pottery to guests. |
"Keep" tourists
Passing the corner of Truong Tien Bridge (north of Huong River), many people often see the image of Mrs. Huong - the person who is considered as the "keeper of childhood memories" of Hue with folk toys such as drums and cicadas. Many people do not know, just passing by without stopping.
One day, a travel company invited her to participate as a guide in a workshop. Both the young tourists and their parents were enthusiastic. In particular, a Japanese tourist, after being introduced to her traditional toy-making craft, was extremely impressed. Before leaving Hue, he even promised the guide that he would return to continue the experience and learn the craft. Ms. Duong Thi Cong Ly, Director of the Hue branch of Vietnam Tourism Corporation - Hanoi, shared: "It is thanks to these interesting stories that tourists truly appreciate and love the destination and its tourism products."
That story also raises an issue for the tourism industry: Every destination, every product needs to be told through more emotionally rich stories to "retain" tourists.
From the perspective of Hanoi tourism, the capital's tourism industry has just launched a tourist train named "5 gates". This is not only a product that creates curiosity and appeal with a unique experience, but also impresses by cleverly bringing the culture, memories and cultural identity of the capital into public infrastructure. Every detail on the train is "infused with culture", instead of just focusing on technical utilities. The name of the train is also taken from the five gates of the ancient Thang Long Citadel, including: Quan Chuong Gate, Cau Den Gate, Dong Mac Gate, Cau Giay Gate and Cho Dua Gate. The innovation in storytelling thinking, turning transport infrastructure into a means of cultural communication also makes people more proud, and tourists eager to explore .
In Hue, many tourists still expressed regret that the way tourism is done at some destinations has not really left an impression. Many tour programs only stop at "passing by", making tourists feel that the value is not commensurate with the money spent. Some people think that the entrance fees to some tourist attractions are still high, because the experience stops at just sightseeing, without hearing stories related to the heritage, and without fully feeling the value. When leaving, they only take a few photos, but lack deep memories.
A few months ago, when I visited an incense making site in Thuy Bieu tourist area, I witnessed tourists sharing that they just wanted to experience making incense by hand and be introduced to the traditional craft, not wanting to do it by machine. When their wishes were met, and they also heard more stories about the incense making profession, they were very satisfied and excited.
Build compelling stories
Nowadays, many tourists are no longer interested in single tours that lack depth and emotional connection. They need spiritual guidance, a compelling story or a lingering experience. This requires destinations, especially community tourism, to change their mindset from “what is there” to “how to tell it” to touch the emotions of tourists.
According to Director of the Vietnam - Hanoi Tourism Joint Stock Company Branch in Hue, Duong Thi Cong Ly, building a story for a tourism product is not a fabrication, but based on culture, local life, exploiting unique features from history and tradition to explain the birth of the product. From there, the product and destination become more attractive.
For example, when building a Hue Tet experience product, telling stories about “three generations living together”, “four generations living together” (3-4 generations living together), or customs such as visiting pagodas, cleaning graves, giving lucky money at the beginning of the year… will help visitors understand more deeply the meaning of Tet, making the experience more memorable.
Ms. Ho My Lien Hanh, a freelance tour guide in Hue, shared: "Tourists are often very excited to hear stories about life in the places they visit, which helps them better understand the rhythm of life in the region. However, in some places, the organization and presentation are not engaging enough, causing them to easily lose interest."
According to the female tour guide’s experience, visitors especially like to hear stories from everyday life; the more genuine they are, the easier it is to leave an impression. Therefore, tourist attractions, tour guides, and interpreters need to collect and tell stories that are close to life and the destination, to bring emotions to visitors.
A representative of the Department of Tourism said that, along with innovation in product development and improvement, the local tourism industry also focuses on improving professionalism in tourism practices. The Department of Tourism and the Tourism Association regularly organize training courses for tourism staff, including tour guides at tourist attractions, so that they can have more skills to serve and spread cultural values to tourists.
Text and photos: HUU PHUC
Source: https://huengaynay.vn/du-lich/nghe-san-pham-du-lich-ke-chuyen-157533.html
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