According to experts, Vietnam’s tourism needs to have specific products “mention to remember” and compete with other countries in the region.
Vietnam has four advantages of nature, culture, cuisine, and people, but it still struggles to choose the most robust product to develop and promote.
This poses a challenge to the tourism industry when it reopens from March 15, in addition to favorable conditions for travel and disease control.
“We have not yet satisfied visitors, despite possessing great prizes in luxury tourism, world-class resorts, and leading hotel brands in the world.
When I look at Thailand, when I think of them, I remember Muay Thai, golden temples, traditional dances, language, and food,” said Pham Ha, chairman of Lux Group.
Vietnam is one of the few countries with dozens of UNESCO-recognized heritage sites, in addition to more than 40,000 landscapes, of which more than 3,000 national-level relics and 5,000 provincial-level relics.
In 2019-2020, Vietnam was honored as “World’s Leading Heritage Destination” by the World Travel Awards (WTA). According to Mr. Ha, this is evidence that our country can position its brand and develop heritage-related tourism products.
“Heritage is a valuable resource that attracts international and domestic tourists; to mention Vietnam is to think of heritage,” Ha said. Especially after Covid-19, heritage tourism is more suitable to attract high-paying guests because of its ability to connect with high-class resorts, golf, health care.
During the information session about the plan to open up international tourism, the Director-General of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Nguyen Trung Khanh, also said: “Product quality is the core issue to increase the competitiveness of Vietnam. , not just discounts”.
Therefore, according to Mr. Khanh, industries, localities, and businesses need to prepare physical facilities and human resources in the coming time, especially building new products to attract tourists.
Mr. Doan Manh Phuoc, Director of Outbox Tourism Destination Research and Development Consultancy Company, said that what is strategic and requires high expertise is that Vietnamese tourism needs a brand positioning and then finds the right products.
Vietnam’s tourism management agencies need more professional investment and management for brand communication.
“Each country has its characteristics, strengths, and attractions for tourists. For the brand to stand out, I believe that what Vietnam’s tourism needs to learn from other countries, or as in the domestic, is Da Nang. And at the same time must pay attention to investment seriously and properly,” said Mr. Phuoc.
The creation of a Vietnamese tourism brand stops at the surface of the logo and slogan. Vietnam often does not focus on specific products or markets but embraces many things. This makes the value of Vietnam tourism quite faint and unattractive.
“To be frank, Vietnam has never had a clear, focused, and strategic tourism brand, like other national destinations in the region have been doing,” said Mr. more.
It is also essential to promote communication to influence tourists’ perception, including international media channels such as CNN and the BBC.
According to Mr. Ha, communication and promotion are indispensable to developing products from heritage. One example is Discover Thainess, Thailand’s promotional campaign about lifestyle and culture, including a “One and Only” contest for visitors to experience speaking Thai, making wreaths, practicing Muay Thai…
“The market is changing every day; we will have to be ready with new requirements from visitors regarding communication, products, and service quality.
It is not possible to rely solely on the available potential of the country. Only when it solves the internal death graves of the industry can Vietnam’s tourism make great strides after opening the door,” Mr. Phuoc concluded.
Read More: What Does Vietnam Need To Do To Attract International Tourists When it Reopens?