On May 16, in Phan Thiet city, Binh Thuan province, the Provincial Tourism Association in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City Informatics Association organized a discussion on "Digital transformation and application of artificial intelligence - Connecting the Binh Thuan tourism ecosystem".
With the advantage of a temperate climate, blue sea, white sand, golden sunshine and unique indigenous culture, Binh Thuan is gradually affirming its position as a tourism center on the world tourism map.
Therefore, to keep up with the trend, digital transformation in tourism is not simply about digitizing information but also applying AI to connect the tourism ecosystem, predicting tourism trends.
According to Lao Dong, in recent times, Binh Thuan has made progress in digital transformation for the tourism sector such as building a digital map, a smart tourism information system, QR code application, cashless payments, etc.
In addition, social networking platforms have become an important promotional channel, helping to build the image of a vibrant and close destination in Binh Thuan.
Currently, the VR virtual reality application is also being tested at some locations to bring a vibrant travel experience to tourists.
Mr. Bui The Nhan - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan province said that digital transformation and AI are no longer options but are mandatory routes to improve local tourism competitiveness.
To go quickly, there needs to be a link: State - Scientists - Enterprises - Community. The Provincial People's Committee is committed to creating all favorable conditions for initiatives, models, and solutions to be applied effectively in Binh Thuan.
Many delegates and experts focused on discussing and clarifying a number of key issues such as current barriers for businesses and localities in digital transformation; clearly identifying new trends in digital transformation and AI in tourism; sharing models, experiences, practical lessons at home and abroad; proposing solutions to support businesses and management agencies.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa - Chairman of Binh Thuan Tourism Association, the application of digital technology is taking place strongly and has become an inevitable trend in tourism business activities in Vietnam in general and Binh Thuan in particular, bringing significant changes to both businesses and tourists.
Mr. Khoa commented that Vietnam is making significant progress in applying digital technology to tourism, especially in the field of online booking and promotion on social networks.
However, compared to the world, Vietnam still has a gap in applying advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, Blockchain and exploiting big data to personalize experiences and optimize operations.
The digital transformation process in tourism in Binh Thuan still faces many challenges. High-quality human resources in technology are still lacking; awareness of digital transformation is not extensive, especially in small businesses. Coordination between the parties is not tight.
To overcome these difficulties, Binh Thuan province has proposed a series of synchronous policies such as developing specialized projects on digital transformation of the tourism industry, integrating digitalization goals in the province's overall tourism development plan, upgrading Internet infrastructure at destinations, promoting digital skills training and creating a mechanism to support businesses to invest in technology.
The goal is to form a smart Binh Thuan tourism ecosystem with all destinations, products and services digitized, connected and user experience optimized.
