Forum on digital transformation in tourism development
A forum titled “Digital Transformation in Tourism Development” was held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 7 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with the municipal People’s Committee.
Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha stressed that digital transformation will be the driving force in achieving a breakthrough in tourism and making that industry green.
Green transformation and the trend of rapid economic and social digitisation in many countries has become the key driving force in restructuring the economic growth model and changing the competition model globally, he said.
The national strategy for developing the digital economy and society until 2025 sets out a number of key tasks for the tourism industry such as building a digital data platform for cultural heritages, landscapes, tourist attractions and services, and a museum network; providing training in smart tourism; and achieving digital transformation of tourism at undergraduate and postgraduate training institutions, he said.
The development of digital infrastructure and applications such as internet of things, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, interactive virtual reality, cloud computing, and big data analytics to transform and adapt to new trends and public investment would be among the focuses of digital transformation in tourism, he added.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said the tourism industry was implementing Government Resolution No 82/NQ-CP to accelerate its recovery.
The May resolution identified digital transformation as a core mission to promote the recovery and enhance the competitiveness of the tourism industry, he said.
Technological advancements have reshaped the behaviours of travelers from merely seeking information, booking services and experiencing destinations to sharing emotions and memories, much of which now happens in the digital environment, he said.
Tourism management and businesses should leverage digital technologies to enhance their competitiveness, he added.
The forum was held within the framework of the 17th International Travel Expo HCM City that opened on September 7. The expo has attracted more than 3,500 delegates from 44 cities and provinces in the country and 41 countries and territories.
Other new solutions for sustainable tourism such as human resource restructure, destination marketing, communications strategies, and green tourism development also received much attention.
The expo, on at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in HCM City, will run until September 9.
