Check-in point near Thanh Toan tile bridge area

"Double-edged sword"

In recent days, public opinion has been divided into two streams of controversy over the images of new check-in spots near the Thanh Toan tile bridge area (Thuy Thanh commune, Huong Thuy town). These check-in spots are built on iron frames, with many colors that easily attract people's attention. Many opinions say that having more space to take souvenir photos for people and tourists coming to the Thanh Toan tile bridge relic is a creative way, for visitors to save photos to promote tourism . However, there are also many opinions that disagree. One person frankly shared: "Creativity must be consistent with preserving the old features, avoiding harming tourism because of the disjointedness and tackiness, not suitable for the existing space. Check-in spots at relic sites must avoid causing offense."

The story from the Thanh Toan tile-roofed bridge check-in point reminds me of similar stories at domestic check-in points that have caused controversy. A typical example is the "fairy hand" construction at the top of O Quy Ho pass (Lai Chau) that made many people "fall backwards". Mr. H., an architecture lecturer at a university in Hanoi , commented that this construction is so ugly that it "damages" the majestic landscape of one of the "four great mountain passes" in the northern mountainous region and has nothing to do with indigenous culture. Or, the large bust of the character Elsa (in the famous American animated film "Frozen") in the middle of the mountainous landscape in Sa Pa town, Lao Cai also caused controversy in the online community, because many people thought that the statue was not suitable for Vietnamese culture in general and Sa Pa's identity in particular.

In fact, the trend of taking photos and checking in is becoming more and more popular. If you know how to exploit and build suitable check-in points, it will bring extremely high tourism promotion efficiency without much cost. Each photo of a tourist will spread, promote the destination in a genuine way and create trust for other tourists. However, building check-in points can also be a double-edged sword, harming the tourist destination if the image is offensive and not suitable for the destination. In fact, since the statue of Elsa in Sa Pa was erected, many tourists have expressed their opinions frankly on social networks, including someone who affirmed: "I will not go to Sa Pa because of many offensive things like that".

Returning to the story of Thanh Toan tile bridge, the idea and purpose of building check-in points is clearly because of the desire to develop tourism. Mr. Tran Duy Viet, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thuy Thanh commune (Huong Thuy town), when sharing with the press, also said that the locality has just deployed 5 more locations for people and tourists to have more check-in points when coming to Thanh Toan tile bridge relic, these locations are all located on the outer ring of the relic, not in the core area, so they do not destroy the landscape. The meaning of these locations is to create more highlights, add a new product that the target audience is young people. Instead of just having a tile bridge, these locations help young people have more beautiful photos to post on social networking sites, thereby spreading the image of Thanh Toan tile bridge and attracting more people to this relic. The purpose of new check-in points is understandable, however, the reviews and opinions of many tourists are really important, a factor that Thuy Thanh and other tourist destinations must really pay attention to if they want to develop.

Research carefully when building a check-in point

Responding to the intrinsic needs of tourists in the face of the strong development and widespread spread of social networks, the construction of check-in points for tourists has become a very effective promotional tool for tourism. But clearly, it requires serious and thorough research, especially to be suitable for the space of the tourist destination.

Relevant units and localities with tourist destinations need to proactively choose or build symbols for the destination and locality; on the other hand, it is necessary to create conditions and meet the needs of tourists to take photos and check-in. The construction of check-in points is not only for the purpose of promoting tourism and attracting tourists, an equally important factor is to pay attention to the shooting angle. How to stand here to have a panoramic view, take the best photo of the destination, just enough to cover the location, reflect the characteristics and symbolism of the check-in point, and have enough context and space to recognize while the character is still clear, not lost. That both meets the needs of tourists to check-in, and "forces" tourists when posting their images on their personal pages to also "must" include images of the destination in a harmonious and artistic way.

When building a check-in point, local authorities of the destination and related units need to consult with experienced people in related fields, architects, refer to effective models and opinions of tourists to choose the location to build the check-in point and the architecture suitable for the destination space as well as aesthetics.

Article and photos: MINH TAM