Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà addresses the “Digital Transformation in Tourism Development” forum in HCM City on Thursday. — VNS Photo Thu Hằng

HCM CITY — Digital transformation will be the driving force in achieving a breakthrough in tourism and making that industry green, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà has said.

Speaking at a forum titled “Digital Transformation in Tourism Development” on Thursday, he said 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.

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 Nguyễn Văn Hùng 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 travellers 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.

Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism Sok Soken, who was in attendance, said following COVID-19, along with immediate shifts in global travel trends and multi-dimensional developments brought by the fourth industrial revolution, digital technologies had become a driving force in a wide range of industries, not least international tourism.

Presenting both new opportunities and challenges, technologies such as online booking platforms, special mobile apps, and the internet of things had revolutionised the way people seek recommendations, plan, navigate, and experience new destinations, he said.

On the supply side, digital platforms and tools had also opened up a wealth of opportunities for businesses and the public sector in the tourism industry, enabling them to reach global audiences and provide immersive virtual experiences to visitors, he said.

Tourism development would require cross-sectoral and multi-layered co-operation, and tourism could not move forward in a manner sustainable to the health of the planet and humans without the participation of all relevant stakeholders, he said.

Therefore, we needed to continue to strengthen co-operation with dialogue and development partners and build a robust framework centred on public-private-people-development partnership at all levels, he added.

Mayur Patel, executive board member of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, said digitisation of the tourism sector would bring benefits and provide marketers with valuable insights allowing for creativity and innovation of new tourism products and services.

Digital transformation would help improve the customer experience and create a positive impact during the entire trip from the booking stage onwards, he added.

The opening of the 17th International Travel Expo HCM City that opened on Thursday. VNS Photo Thu Hằng

According to the World Economic Forum’s Digital Transformation Initiative, digitisation in aviation, travel and tourism is expected to create US$305 billion in value for the industry through increased profitability.

The forum was held within the framework of the 17th International Travel Expo HCM City that opened on Thursday.

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. —VNS