The first challenge is managers and policymakers' awareness and understanding about tourism needs and requirements.

An open and flexible visa policy will not only take into account the expansion of visa waivers to key markets. Other factors will also be just as important, such as the length of stay for the travelers who enjoy visa waivers. 

For example, they could enjoy a visa waiver for 45 days instead of 15 days, which would satisfy demand for long travel.

The issuance of visas to travelers and visa extensions should be changed and should be digitized. The policy and visa solutions should be seen as Vietnam's competitive criteria compared with major rivals in the region, such as Thailand and Indonesia. 

We need to soon build a suitable visa policy, such as a digital nomad visa, with reference to the experience of similar destinations such as Bali.

In the short term, improvements in visa policy as well as effective deployment of the e-visa scheme will accelerate the rapid development of international tourism, which is still hesitant to choose Vietnam as a destination.

The trend of personalizing and appreciating local experiences will require flexibility and new highly personalized products. For example, kayaking on Ha Long Bay should be seen as a normal service rather than an activity requiring strict management.

Excessive requirements on management will not only restrict the development of services, but also limit tourists’ experiences of nature in Vietnam. 

Other tourism services will require flexible and suitable treatment from management agencies. For example, overly high requirements on procedures and licenses to regulate boats won’t allow us to provide tourist-driven, very low-speed electric motor boats at rivers and lakes.

The national digital service portal for travelers, integrated with visas, guidance and promotion will be an important element and should be prioritized, with the aim of providing personalized services to travelers.

A national digital service portal for travelers should include adequate instructions and services, visa information and services, Vietnamese representative agencies in their host countries, information on regulations, and popular services at tourist attractions in Vietnam, and other advertisement information.

Such a public service portal should be built as a private-public cooperation project among relevant state agencies, tourism associations and companies, and localities.

One of the issues at which Vietnam is weak is tourism promotion and advertisement. But, with big changes and new tourism trends, digital advertisements will become a more important priority and will require a more flexible approach so that information can reach all individuals in potential markets.

Digital advertisements will not only require expenses, but also a flexible, dynamic approach by management agencies, as well as cooperation among management agencies, tourism companies and airlines, not only in Vietnam.

Digital advertisements need to target potential areas where travelers reside. Currently, Vietnam just thinks of advertising its destinations on certain international TV channels.

The efforts of private enterprises require in-depth understanding about the demands and trends of travelers, as well as the potential of Vietnam’s tourism. 

Digital transformation solutions not only mean management tools which enable effective personal communications with travelers, but also improved administration activities to help better understand travelers’ demands.

The tendency of buying everything with smartphones will force businesses and individuals involved in the tourism service supply chains to have in-depth understanding and better reactions, more effectively applying digital services to provide to travelers.

Highly personalized tourism products, with a lot of indigenous culture and experiences will be the advantage and disadvantage for Vietnam's tourism in the coming years. 

With the new trend, urban tourism services will be favored as travelers will stay longer and spend more on trips to main cities. However, getting the right services, from tailored short tours, to tailored local life and cultural experiences, will require a lot of work from both providers and the flexibility of management agencies.

Ngoc Ha