Illustrative image. (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approveda master plan on use of information technology in promoting tourism from 2018 –2020, with a vision to 2025.
The plan aims to create a digital database of tour guides, travelagencies, hotels and lodging providers nationwide as well as of touristcomplexes and destinations and tourists by 2020. A range of mobile applicationswill be developed to provide tourists with all they need to know about thetourist destinations and tourist services and products there while audio guideswill also be available in popular languages.
Better connection will be established among central and local tourismauthorities and tourism service providers.
By 2025, Vietnam will develop a smart eco-tourism environment in tandemwith smart cities and foster the use of artificial intelligence, virtualassistant and other advanced technology to better serve tourists and support operationof tour operators and tourism authorities.
All are set to take the country to the Top 4 countries in SoutheastAsia in terms of competitiveness in tourism.
According to the VietnamTourism Association (VNTA), the smart travel segment has plenty of room for growth.
Last year, the VNTAreported that online travel sales volume in Vietnam would maintain a yearlygrowth rate of 12 percent for the next three years, and 50 million Vietnamese people or 53 percent ofthe population, had Internet access and 78 percent of them had regular accessto the Internet. All travel agents use the Internet to advertise their productsand services.
Vietnam’s tourism industry is booming andis fast becoming the driving force behind economic growth. The “smoke-free” industry has witnessed spectacularsuccess in the past few years with higher growth rate every year.
Last year, nearly 13 million foreignvisitors came to Vietnam, earning the country more than 500 trillion VND (22billion USD). That was up 30 percent and 20 percent year on year, respectively.
Vietnam’s tourism ranked sixth in the top10 fastest growing tourism destinations globally and was crowned the bestperformer in Asia in 2017. The industry last year contributed 7.5 per cent tothe nation’s GDP.
The nation hopes to welcome 17-20 millionforeign arrivals and 82 million domestic tourists by 2020. Tourism revenue isexpected to reach 35 billion USD, contributing 10 percent to the country’s GDPby then, and the industry may create four million jobs, including 1.6 milliondirect jobs. –VNA
VNA
