The nature of tourism has changed and the tourism industry must adapt to the new circumstances.

Vu The Binh, Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said that the fourth wave of Covid-19 pandemic seriously hurt Vietnam's tourism. Previously, many stimulus programs were organized whenever the epidemic was under control. Tourism businesses achieved certain successes when the number of tourists exploded, even higher than the time before the epidemic.

But the pandemic has changed the whole world, including tourism.

To welcome international visitors, it is necessary to practice with domestic tourists

Tour providers have to ensure the safety of tourists until the tour ends, even 14 days or even a month after the tour.

According to Binh, tourism activities now are not just about understanding the market, building and promoting, offering products, organizing tours, and saying goodbye to visitors. It's not just about encouraging customers to buy insurance or use safety services. Safety has become an important element, an indispensable part of tourism products and services, and a mandatory condition in tourism programs. There is nothing that is not related to safety.

Tour providers have to ensure the safety of tourists until the tour ends, even 14 days or even a month after the tour.

Tour organizers have to ensure safety not only for tour operators and tourists, but also places where tourists come and the entire society.

No-touch, no-contact tours

Hanoitourist has cooperated with the Management Board of Duong Lam tourist site, the owners of ancient houses there and the local authorities, to offer tours to Duong Lam ancient village from October 1.

Director Phung Quang Thang said that this is “no touch, no contact” tour that ensures no contact between tourists and local people. For example, if the owner of an ancient house has not been vaccinated, the company will "borrow" the house to serve visitors. Tourists can cook by themselves and listen to introduction by tour guides through walkie-talkies.

This is one of the five “safe tours” offered by Hanoitourist since October 1. This is the first green tour piloted by the company, as a model for other programs. Director Thang said that everything must be carefully prepared, to ensure safety criteria.

This is also a requirement set out by the National Program to Restore Domestic Tourism, launched by the Vietnam Tourism Association. Accordingly, travel programs must be organized in a closed form, under the strict supervision and control of the travel agency during the consulting and service provision process.

In order to carry out this program when the epidemic is still not completely controlled, Huynh Chi Cong, Deputy Director of HCM City-based Ben Thanh Tourism, said that travel agencies need to research the form of "bubble tourism". Accordingly, tourists will visit the registered places only.

Priority should be given to tourism activities with little contact and in large spaces such as outdoor agricultural production, outdoor construction sites, picnic trips by personal vehicles, etc., an official of Vietfoot Travel suggested.

Duong Lam ancient village, Hanoi.

Online travel

Ha Giang province has decided to promote online tourism. Accordingly, the annual program highlighting the beauty of Hoang Su Phi terraced fields during harvest season will be held virtually for the first time.

The program aims to promote the landscapes, cultures and heritages of Ha Giang Province, connect the introduction and sale of typical local agricultural products on virtual platforms.

Participants will be able to view the stunning beauty of Hoang Su Phi terraced fields during harvest season from August to October, which before the pandemic, enticed many tourists and backpackers to the region.

The tourism program will take place from September 4 to October 30, 2021 with various sports and cultural events.

After Ha Giang, Thanh Hoa province will hold an online conference on October 7 to announce its application of digital technology to promote tourism.

According to Vuong Thi Hai Yen, Deputy Director of Thanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Thanh Hoa has applied technology to digitize tourists' travel experiences and develop a safe tourist map. In the coming time, tourism activities such as announcing new tourism products, tours, festivals, will be implemented online.

Ha Giang province has decided to promote online tourism. Accordingly, the annual program highlighting the beauty of Hoang Su Phi terraced fields during harvest season will be held virtually for the first time.

In fact, when tourism activities were stalled, many new tourism initiatives arose based on digital technology. These are special forms of tourism activities that have never appeared before. Instead of going to tourist sites, interact with many people, ... now just sitting in one place, people can travel through the experience of local people or guides.

Recently, a Giay ethnic girl in Sapa town, Lao Cai province “brought” thousands of tourists to Sapa through her online tour. To date, she has built 3 registered tours through application Zoom and the Google Meet platform.

A young man has also brought international tourists to explore the Hanoi Old Quarter, temples, experience cyclo and Hanoi’s street food through... a smartphone. This guide's online tours have received thousands of followers from European countries, the US, and Canada over the past year.

Vu The Binh said that digital transformation in tourism is simply applying technology and digital platforms to all stages of tourism activities, thereby saving costs and improving efficiency.

The head of the General Department of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh emphasized that the preeminent solution to focus on for the next step is the application of technology. With digital transformation, tourism businesses can reach more customers, take better care of customers, reduce costs and increase business efficiency. Moreover, digital transformation is a trend for all businesses to improve competitiveness.

Ha Yen

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