Nghe An discusses solutions for the recovery and sustainable development of tourism in the post-Covid-19 era.

The workshop was chaired by Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh - Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Thien - member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Group; Mr. Tran Trong Kien - member of the Private Economic Development Research Board, Chairman of the National Tourism Advisory Council; and Mr. Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, Head of the Nghe An Tourism Development Steering Committee.

The workshop was attended by over 500 delegates representing the Departments of Tourism/Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Tourism Associations of 14 provinces/cities nationwide; representatives of transportation companies, the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club, and many businesses and partners in the tourism industry...

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Bui Dinh Long, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, said: In the first four months of the year, the number of tourists and tourism revenue decreased by more than 60%, and many businesses closed down. After social distancing, the needs and spending of tourists tend to change and remain at a low level. Nghe An has implemented the "Vietnamese people travel in Vietnam" program and launched the "Nghe An - A safe and unique destination" program. Mr. Long also frankly put forward several proposals to promote domestic tourism and restore international tourists, including: market orientation and tourism promotion and advertising in the coming time; proposing solutions for safety, improving the quality of destinations and products and services; cooperation and linkages between localities and businesses; and introducing policies, product packages, and services that are truly attractive and high-quality in each stage to attract tourists.

As Chairman of the National Tourism Advisory Council, Mr. Tran Trong Kien offered insightful assessments of the current state of the tourism market and future trends. Mr. Kien argued that the current situation is not yet the worst-case scenario, and that the worst is yet to come. He also expressed surprise at how quickly people are forgetting about safety, with fewer and fewer people wearing masks and paying attention to social distancing.

According to Mr. Kien, Nghe An has advantages in nature and the sea – perfectly aligned with future tourism trends. Therefore, it needs to develop strong products to attract tourists, focusing more on increasing value rather than necessarily offering deep discounts. In addition, Nghe An has good infrastructure, making Vinh a great connecting point between regions. However, Mr. Kien also emphasized that Nghe An tourism needs to pay attention to factors such as connectivity and media cooperation, prioritizing safety for sustainable development, and investing in digital solutions.

Following the presentations by Mr. Bui Dinh Long and Mr. Tran Trong Kien, the workshop attracted many contributions from delegates. Mr. Truong Quoc Hung - Chairman of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club - also contributed to Nghe An tourism with several suggestions such as strong and eye-catching promotion of destinations and policies on media and platforms; reducing tourism services by 50% or more, with synchronized discounts, not isolated incidents; and systematically monitoring stimulus programs to ensure service quality and reputation...

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Lam Thanh, TikTok's representative in Vietnam, analyzed the growing impact of social media platforms and digital advertising on various business sectors. Tourism is also a sector with a very strong trend towards digital advertising. Mr. Thanh stated that TikTok is preparing to launch an account promoting tourism in Nghe An province, aiming to reach 50,000 followers and over 50 million views by the end of 2020.

In addition, the workshop received many positive contributions from representatives of various businesses and partners. Notably, the workshop also saw the signing of an agreement to link and cooperate in stimulating domestic tourism growth between the provinces/cities of Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Thanh Hoa with the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club.

PV