‘Covid-19 forces all to decide on to transform digitally or to not exist’

Today, May 18, the discussion board “Green stream” for tourism to take off – Theme II: Digital transformation: Driving pressure for sustainable growth organized by Business Forum Magazine happened with 4 periods together with: Orientation for digital transformation; sensible software; dialog; Innovate Vietnam’s tourism and launch a ballot of typical tourism service enterprises in 2022.

‘Covid-19 tsunami makes tourism expertise painful days’

Speaking on-line on the opening of the Forum, Mr. Hoang Quang Phong – Vice President of the Vietnam Confederation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) stated that the applying of knowledge expertise within the tourism trade has been acknowledged by a variety of travel companies. deployment schedule when importing internationally. Especially high-class accommodations, resorts, and enormous travel companies to serve their very own administration. However, the applying of knowledge expertise and digital transformation within the tourism trade remains to be remoted in a powerful means that everybody does and there’s no consensus.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the tourism industry to go through painful days but also an unprecedented purge. Digital transformation has proven to be indispensable for all industries if they want to develop in the 4.0 industrial era. It is worth mentioning that, if in previous years, the story of digital transformation in tourism was still concentrated in a few businesses and localities with sharp thinking, flexibility and strong financial potential, now this is the “tsunami”. COVID has forced everyone to choose: digital transformation or non-existence,” stated Mr. Phong.

According to Mr. Phong, not solely companies, but additionally locations are shaping digital transformation to convey handy and secure experiences for purchasers equivalent to computerized interpretation methods, QR codes to introduce in-kind. .. The exceptional level is that many localities have actually perfected the ecosystem of companies, procuring, delicacies, and so forth. at vacationer locations, and on the similar time, vacationers can ship suggestions on service high quality to the company. handle.

“The perception of digital transformation is having a clear change and a strong impact, causing tourism businesses and destinations to constantly search for adaptive solutions to survive. Currently, not only large enterprises, but now many small and medium-sized tourism businesses are also applying deployment through platform rental to save themselves when they return to the competitive race.

It can be seen that the tourism industry is actively transforming digitally and actively participating in the 4th Industrial Revolution, with the goal of moving towards forming a smart tourism ecosystem that connects entities from tourists to tourists. calendar, service-providing enterprises and state management agencies,” said Mr. Phong.

Mr. Phong emphasized that for successful digital transformation, it may take several years, but it cannot be slower. Although the Covid-19 epidemic causes damage, it also creates an opportunity for businesses and the tourism industry to transform, catching up with the world’s irreversible trend – digital transformation.

According to Mr. Nguyen Le Phuc – Deputy General Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, will build a unified system of tourism digital platform nationwide right on the state management system in the near future, in which, Units that have not built the platform will be supported, and those that have implemented and have a foundation, the data will be linked to the common platform.

“In the national digital transformation program, the Prime Minister also assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to chair with the Ministry of Information and Communications to build a foundation for tourism business and management, on the basis of On this common platform, the data will be shared on existing e-commerce platforms, so that businesses and visitors can exploit and experience. This platform, operates and provides data completely free of charge, “said Phuc.

According to Mr. Phuc, in order to have a common platform to develop in the future, it is necessary to contribute data from users.

“In the national digital transformation plan, we also set out a key task to focus on supporting Vietnamese businesses to connect with state management agencies, thereby sharing it for tourists and businesses. industry can use together. In fact, over the past time, large technology corporations such as VNPT, Viettel, FPT, etc. have also regularly coordinated with the National Administration of Tourism to carry out digital transformation at tourist destinations, gradually developing develop tourism ecosystems”, Mr. Phuc shared.

Around these contents, on the Forum, Mr. Nguyen Trong Duong – Deputy Director General in command of Enterprise Management Department (Ministry of Information and Communications) stated that, so as to construct a standard basis, a State company stands out to construct will probably be very troublesome, however for a enterprise that stands out to construct and function might be very optimistic.

It has been confirmed {that a} platform constructed and launched by companies can have an ample supply of knowledge, and produce spillover worth when it attracts customers and Zalo is an instance in Vietnam. . Most of right now’s platforms are fashioned and develop naturally, good foundations or not, folks and vacationers might be regular folks,” said Mr. Duong.

At the forum, Ms. Do Hong Xoan – Chairman of the Vietnam Hotel Association said that digital transformation is a vital issue for tourism businesses, but digital transformation for small and medium enterprises needs more. more “help” from policies and organizations.

Specifically, Ms. Xoan said that digital transformation is an indispensable need of the world, especially after the pandemic. Digital transformation is the existence, the survival of enterprises. In 2018, the Prime Minister approved the overall project of information technology application in tourism until 2022, with orientation to 2025, identifying digitalization as a vital issue of Vietnam.

Digitization is not the only strategy of businesses, but now it will become a practice that businesses must apply to improve competitiveness.

Currently, the tourism industry is receiving the strong impact of digital transformation. In fact, large-scale businesses that apply digital transformation are a different story, while up to three-quarters of small and medium-sized businesses face more difficulties.

Therefore, in the process of applying digital transformation technology, small and medium-sized businesses are very concerned because this is a moderate story with policies from the central government to ministries to the General Department of Tourism to associations. as well as the transition from new local departments can keep up.

Ms. Do Hong Xoan shared, Vietnam’s tourism industry has joined the WTO and right at that time, the issue of green tourism, smart tourism and ecotourism was placed on top.

In the developed countries in the region and around the world, they have been implementing digital transformation for a long time, and have become the specialization of all businesses, becoming processes and habits, just sitting for a while. the place can work with the whole world from booking, booking tours, learning about the destination… even before going there.

For further evidence, Ms. Xoan said, large-scale businesses such as Accor, Marriot, etc. Their room booking system is already professional from abroad, then the hotel only accepts high-class guests, Vietnamese guests only account for about 3-5% of the total number of visitors when you stay at these hotels. In tourist centers, since before 2019, bookings to 4-5 star hotels always reach over 95% of the number of rooms.

Those businesses have also applied digitalization in management, administration, and reception to bring the most complete experience to customers.

According to Ms. Xoan, now to improve competitiveness in the market and internationally, Vietnamese businesses have realized that if they want to reach customers as well as keep them at their establishment for a long time, it’s time not to. more traditional business.

Especially, after the pandemic, digitization will be more difficult for small and medium enterprises because technology is still weak, there is no management process, and there is no information technology to go deep into each department to create professional operation process, closed process.

Recently, the National Assembly has also approved the development program, with additional budget to supplement digital transformation and tourism promotion, this is the basis for developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector. “We sit up for extra insurance policies to collectively convey tourism to a stronger growth,” said Ms. Xoan.

‘The benefits of digital transformation will gradually appear, no longer a theory’

From the perspective of business leaders, Nguyen Quyet Tam, founder of TravelMaster and iTourism – Vietnam’s tourism digital transformation platform, said that Vietnam’s tourism industry is implementing many digitalization activities in the context of how Network 4.0 has a strong impact today.

However, according to Mr. Tam, these activities are still fragmented and have not maximized efficiency because the database has not been shared to connect and homogenize, leading to the process of management, control, and reporting. Statistics of industry data and making judgments about development trends are more difficult.

In that context, in response to Mr. Tam, iTourism – is an answer for the extent of the National Administration of Tourism, designed to change into an IOC Data Center for tourism actions throughout the nation. And this helps to strengthen the interplay and shut connection between…