Linking the "links" to develop tourism

Tourists enjoy their travel experience in Hue

Competitive factors

Many business leaders are still concerned about the competitiveness of prices and tourism products in Vietnam in general, and Hue in particular. Ms. Duong Thi Cong Ly, Director of the Hue Branch of Vietnam - Hanoi Tourism Joint Stock Company, shared that transportation costs, especially airfares, account for a high proportion in the tour price structure. Tourists always want to choose tours with reasonable prices, however, when the parties do not have a connection to stimulate demand, it is difficult to offer attractive tour prices.

Last summer, domestic tourists preferred to go abroad because domestic airfares increased. At that time, a survey on the websites of many travel agencies showed that tour prices to some foreign destinations were cheaper than domestic round-trip airfares. Many companies accepted package tours (including airfare, meals, hotels, etc.) from Ho Chi Minh City to Thailand for 5 days and 4 nights at VND8.9 million/person. In the package tour segment under VND15 million, tours such as Thailand, Singapore, Korea, etc. were chosen by many customers. In particular, international road tours to China with prices starting from only VND3.9 million were also products that directly competed with domestic tours. This shows that service prices have a great impact on tourists' travel decisions.

For a long time, the issue of tour prices has not only been a concern for tourists but also for those working in tourism, especially tour operators. Travel agencies always want to offer tours at the most attractive prices, but must ensure the quality of accompanying services, in which accommodation and transportation services are especially important. The difficulty is when the connection between the service business community is not good, leading to low market flexibility.

In Hue, 2 years ago, tourists compared the price of hotel rooms of the same star rating in Hue to that in Da Nang. When asking questions to accommodation businesses, one unit answered us: "Why do we have to reduce prices, when during peak season, hotels are always fully booked." There were also times when some hotels would rather leave rooms empty than agree to reduce prices with travel agencies to stimulate demand.

In fact, the good connection between tourism units will affect the psychology and emotions of customers. For example, if units and businesses have good connections, they will "win over" customers through stimulus and incentive programs. This will also have a positive impact, attracting customers better during the low season. Although the tourism industry has had positive changes in tourism linkage activities, in reality, this relationship is mostly due to businesses and units finding each other.

If you want to go far, go together.

Connectivity is an important factor in the business community, reflected in the motto "if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together". In many countries with developed tourism, linking the tourism value chain is given top priority, ensuring tightness and professionalism. Many linked services aim to serve customers from the moment they step out of their homes, to tourist attractions, entertainment areas, and then return home. All have brought satisfaction and attracted tourists. In some European countries, tourism products are considered industrial products, organized in a supply chain to create a tourism product, including aviation, travel, accommodation, destinations, etc. Linking values in tourism contributes to creating competitiveness for regional tourism and the national tourism industry.

Mr. Dinh Manh Thang, Vice President of Vietnam Tourism Association, President of Hue City Tourism Association, is concerned that to create attraction for the tourism industry, the role of community participation and each business in tourism activities is extremely important. Units must look in the same direction, calculate how to bring service prices to an attractive level, sacrifice initial benefits, and thereby have attractive stimulus programs. This is also a way to create attraction and competition in destinations, so that visitors gradually change their choice of destination.

Every year, in addition to promotion and advertising programs, the tourism industry also implements tourism stimulus programs. Currently, the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Association are also carrying out activities to connect and mobilize businesses to promote linkages in order to create programs, products and services that attract tourists. However, to ensure effectiveness, the first thing is that units and businesses need to sit down and promote linkages. To be able to participate in tourism business activities proactively and positively in the process of cooperation and linkage, each business needs to have specific and appropriate business strategies and plans. Importantly, those plans also need to aim at a goal of developing the overall strategy of the tourism industry.

In addition, units should also establish an information system linked to the internal information system of the enterprise, related to travel, transportation and accommodation. Issues related to general tourism business activities will be quickly updated, grasped and exchanged by enterprises through this information channel. From there, promote better connection.

If each unit and enterprise is identified as a “link” in the system, working towards the common goal of developing tourism, then no unit can stand outside. And of course, close connection is an important factor to go far in a long, sustainable journey.