Russian and CIS tourist market: Shortage of service personnel.

Due to the strong growth pressure from the Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) tourist markets, the Khanh Hoa Tourism Association has proposed to the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to organize a specialized working session to address the shortage of personnel serving this market.

Urgent need for manpower

According to Mr. Pham Minh Nhut, Chairman of the Khanh Hoa Tourism Association, based on the plans of businesses operating international charter flights, the number of Russian and CIS tourists visiting Khanh Hoa in the summer of 2026 is predicted to increase sharply. It is estimated that in the period 2026-2027, businesses will welcome between 1.2 and 1.5 million tourists, and this number will continue to increase in the following years.

The number of Russian tourists visiting Khanh Hoa is increasing.

The pressing issue is the limited number of licensed Russian-speaking tour guides in the area, while the need for communication support, customer service, and handling unforeseen situations is increasing. Mr. Nhut emphasized that this is no longer just a need of individual businesses, but has become an urgent issue for the tourism market, requiring a suitable management mechanism to ensure service quality and maintain the image of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa as a destination. Accordingly, the association proposes that the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism work with the association and travel businesses to directly exchange information, assess the current situation, and then propose solutions and management mechanisms to provide timely support and create the most favorable conditions for businesses to operate.

Specific solutions

Previously, seven international travel companies, including ABTours Trading and Tourism Co., Ltd., ANEX Vietnam Trading and Tourism Co., Ltd., Selfie Travel Vietnam Co., Ltd., Viet One Travel Co., Ltd., AMEGA General Trading and Tourism Co., Ltd., Pegas Misr Vietnam Travel Co., Ltd., and Vietnam Airlines Joint Stock Company, jointly signed a document proposing solutions to address difficulties faced by the Russian and CIS tourist markets. The proposals focused on allowing businesses to register personnel to fill positions providing language support, international customer service, and handling unforeseen situations during tourists' stays in Vietnam. The companies affirmed that this workforce would not replace Vietnamese tour guides and would not perform any activities related to tour guiding as stipulated by law.

Russian tourists shop at a souvenir shop on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Nha Trang.

In addition, the businesses proposed that the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organize professional training for this group of personnel, including content on language support, international guest care skills, and relevant legal regulations. Trainees who complete the course will receive a certificate valid for management purposes. The businesses commit to taking full responsibility for ensuring that personnel operate within the permitted scope and to submitting periodic reports as required by the authorities. The group of businesses proposed piloting this mechanism during the peak season of 2026-2027 to evaluate its effectiveness before considering long-term implementation.

Mr. Cung Quynh Anh - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism: The Department will coordinate with relevant departments and agencies to advise the Provincial People's Committee on appropriate solutions to gradually build a high-quality tourism workforce, meeting the requirements of Khanh Hoa's tourism development during the period of strong growth in the international tourist market.

Following these recommendations, on May 27th, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism chaired a meeting with representatives from various departments, agencies, travel businesses, and colleges and universities in the province to discuss solutions to address the shortage of Russian-speaking tour guides. At the meeting, delegates proposed that, in the short term, it is necessary to review those who have studied, lived, or worked in Russia to organize professional training courses for tour guides. Simultaneously, short-term, flexible training courses should be implemented to meet the actual needs of businesses. In the medium and long term, it is necessary to strengthen the links between tourism associations, training institutions, businesses, and state management agencies in developing practical training programs that not only focus on foreign languages ​​but also on communication skills, tourism culture and law, and situational handling.

XUAN THANH

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/du-lich/202606/thi-truong-khach-nga-va-cis-thieu-nhan-luc-phuc-vu-67f284e/