(QBĐT) - Phong Nha-Ke Bang is considered the "heart" of tourism in Quang Binh with millions of visitors each year. The system of accommodation, restaurants and tourism services is increasingly expanding, but behind this strong development is a paradox: Human resources cannot keep up with the pace of development. The shortage of human resources in both quantity and quality is causing businesses to struggle, directly affecting the experience of tourists and the sustainable development of the local tourism industry.
1 worker, 20 businesses need
Contrary to the image of a bustling tourist destination, these days, many restaurants and hotels in Phong Nha are having a headache because of the "human resource problem". Many businesses have had to post recruitment signs for months but still cannot find enough workers. Similarly, on Phong Nha tourism groups, it is not difficult to come across a series of recruitment information from hotels and restaurants in the area. The demand for recruitment is high but workers are still not interested or if they do work, it is only seasonal.
According to data from the People's Committee of Phong Nha town (Bo Trach), there are nearly 120 hotels and motels with about 1,210 rooms, along with 160 restaurants, cafes, and beverage services. During the peak tourist season, there is a widespread shortage of human resources, forcing many businesses to find ways to maintain operations.
Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Anh, manager of Central Backpacker Hotel, shared: “From the beginning, we determined to recruit stable staff, requiring employees to commit to working for at least one year, but the number of people who actually stay is not much. They come and go, few people decide to stay long-term. Many people only work for a few months and then quit, find other jobs or go to work abroad.”
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Mr. Mai Xuan Ngoc, manager of Phuong Nam Hotel, said that the shortage of tourism human resources is a common story for most tourist establishments in the area. Especially during peak season, this situation becomes more serious. “For every 1 worker, there are up to 20 businesses in need. If that worker can communicate in English, this number can increase to 25 units ready to recruit. But finding someone with experience, good foreign language skills, and who wants to work here long-term is really difficult,” Mr. Ngoc affirmed.
The shortage of human resources has forced many hotels and restaurants to offer higher salaries than the average to retain employees, but even that is not certain to keep them for long. “We recruit a few people, invest time and effort in training them, but after a short time, they quit. This is not uncommon. Every time the peak season comes, we have to start the recruitment and training process from scratch,” Ngoc added.
Why do workers leave?
Many business owners admit that, in recent years, although tourism activities in the area have become increasingly vibrant, recruiting local workers has become increasingly difficult. One of the main reasons why tourism human resources in Phong Nha are always in a state of scarcity is the seasonality of local tourism. The peak tourist season in Phong Nha only lasts from March to September every year, after which the number of visitors decreases sharply. Unstable jobs and uncertain incomes make many workers reluctant to stay in the tourism industry for a long time. On the other hand, due to the seasonal nature of business, tourism establishments only recruit seasonal staff. The relationship between workers and businesses becomes loose, indifferent, and lacks a sustainable connection.
| The lack of tourism human resources is an urgent problem in Phong Nha-Ke Bang. Without timely solutions, service quality will be affected, making it difficult for tourism to develop sustainably. In order for Phong Nha to not only be an attractive destination but also to “retain” workers, the tourism industry needs a long-term human resources strategy and to develop a variety of tourism products. |
In addition, the income level in the tourism industry in Phong Nha is still quite modest. Currently, the average salary of workers in the industry ranges from 4-6 million VND/month. Meanwhile, if working in big cities or exporting labor, the income can reach 15-20 million VND/month, or even higher. With such a large difference, it is not difficult to understand why many young workers decide to leave their hometown to seek better opportunities. The mentality of "working abroad for a few years and then returning" is causing the human resources in Phong Nha to decline. Those who go to work abroad often do not return to work in tourism, but switch to other industries with higher and more stable incomes. This is one of the main reasons why the "problem" of tourism human resources in Phong Nha is becoming increasingly difficult.
Ms. Phuong Anh frankly expressed that for the majority of local workers, working in the service industry is not a sustainable long-term choice. Although businesses always set criteria and are willing to sign long-term contracts, most workers still consider this job to be temporary, a short-term "destination". That makes them not focus on improving their skills and expertise, even though, as Ms. Phuong Anh assessed, the strengths of local workers are diligence and hard work.
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"Retaining" tourism human resources
Every year, the Department of Tourism (now the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Phong Nha Town People's Committee has also coordinated with schools and vocationaltraining institutions to organize tourism skills training classes, English communication classes... for local workers. Enterprises also carry out training activities for employees as soon as they are recruited. However, the quality of tourism human resources is still one of the limitations of Phong Nha-Ke Bang tourism. Lack of professionalism, lack of vocational skills and foreign language proficiency, while the development of the tourism environment places increasingly high demands.
According to representatives of many tourism businesses in Phong Nha, in the face of the current "thirst" for tourism human resources, there needs to be specific solutions to retain workers. One of the important solutions is to improve the treatment regime. If we only rely on low wages, it will be difficult to compete with other destinations. At the same time, there needs to be a policy to support workers during the low season, ensuring a stable income so that they can feel secure in their commitment. In addition, to reduce seasonality, the tourism industry needs to promote the development of year-round tourism products.
Dieu Huong
Source: https://www.baoquangbinh.vn/kinh-te/202504/trai-tim-du-lich-khat-nhan-luc-2225580/
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