The promotion of digital transformation in tourism has brought many practical utilities, contributing to saving the state budget and increasing the effectiveness of the promotion of destinations in Vietnam. The digital space has shortened the gap and time, thereby helping travellers to quickly make a decision to choose Vietnam as a destination for their experience in reality.
Since the reopening of tourism in March, Vietnamese tourism has witnessed an impressive growth rate. The search volume for Vietnam tourism from international markets in June 2022 increased by 1.125% over the same period last year. The markets with the most searches were the US, Singapore, Australia, India, Japan, France, Thailand, Germany, Canada, and the UK. The most searched destinations were Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hoi An, and Da Lat.
In the first eight months of this year, the Vietnamese tourism sector welcomed nearly 80 million domestic tourists and received 1.2 million international visitors, reaching 24% of this year’s target. The total revenue from tourism reached more than 356 trillion VND. Vietnam has just been voted as the leading destination in Asia at the 29th World Travel Awards 2022.
To effectively anticipate and adapt to the trend of digital transformation in world tourism, Vietnam’s tourism sector has been enhancing links and public-private cooperation, not only in the group of tourism services but also towards the transformation of methods in the communication and promotion of destination through tourism digitisation. In addition, the frequency of Vietnam’s presence on leading TV channels will be increased while forming and raising smart travel experiences for both domestic and international tourists.
Many localities around the country have been building digital spaces and developing tourism on a digital platform. In 2021, the capital city of Hanoi operated the night tour to Thang Long Imperial Citadel and the project to explore the cultural space of Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature), aiming to increase the ability to connect, interact and provide information about the documentary warehouse and artifacts at Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
The central province of Thua Thien Hue developed a virtual space to promote tourism in Thua Thien Hue at two website addressees including http://khonggianao.huetourism.gov.vn and http://khonggianao.visithue.vn. This is an application of digital technology in tourism promotion and stimulation, contributing to the sustainable tourism recovery and development of the locality. This utility was conducted at a virtual exhibition so that visitors can easily learn and experience the exhibition space, stalls, products and services.
After more than a year of implementing its first stage, with more than 18,000 experiences, Da Nang City has been continuing the “One touch to Da Nang” project with a perfect combination between the VR360 virtual tourism system and metaverse. Through both Vietnamese and English, the project can reach customers worldwide and provide comprehensive experiences for users.
The digitalisation of destinations with the constant upgrade of virtual technology towards enhancing the efficiency of propaganda activities and increasing utilities for tourists on the basis of e-commerce tourism, along with the implementation of the digital marketing campaigns, is the new "key" to expanding the door for Vietnam's tourism to regain recovery and sustainable development.
