Recently, the People's Committee of Da Lat City proposed to arrange 16 wards and communes in the city into 2 to 4 commune-level administrative units of Lam Dong province. All three options propose to keep Da Lat in administrative names.
Similarly, Nha Trang City (Khanh Hoa), Phu Quoc City (Kien Giang), Ba Ria - Vung Tau all proposed a plan to retain the names of some typical places such as Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Vung Tau... after the arrangement of administrative units at the grassroots level.
Talking with Lao Dong, Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat - Vice President of Hanoi Tourism Association, approved the priority of keeping the names of famous tourist destinations available.
Many tourist destinations such as Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Da Lat... have become very famous and appear on the world tourism map. We have spent a lot of time, effort, and even money to promote these destinations not only domestically but also to international friends. Therefore, it is necessary to prioritize keeping these names, said Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat.
According to the Vice President of the Hanoi Tourism Association, if the locations are deleted or renamed, the local tourism industry may have difficulty communicating destinations from the beginning, causing waste of time, effort and money.
Mr. Dat said that the merger of provinces and cities could open up opportunities to develop tours in the region, promoting the growth of the local tourism industry together. However, to do this, it is necessary to have the contribution and support of the state and local governments.
The change in geographical boundaries may make people, domestic and international tourists feel strange and unfamiliar with the names of new tourist destinations. Therefore, the state and localities need to support promoting communication about destinations and tourism maps.
Instead of just guiding individual destinations, we should communicate an overall tourism map, making it easier for tourists to access and experience. A complete tourism map needs to fully display old and new locations, as well as outstanding destinations of the provinces, Mr. Dat added.
When arranging administrative units, the tourism industry needs to discuss solutions for destination tourism marketing, and work with localities.
For locations that cannot retain administrative names, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of Best Price, proposed a communication solution: In the transition period, use both old and new names so that visitors can gradually get used to the change without losing connection with the old brand.
At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen communication, promote on social networking platforms, search engines and digital maps, ensuring that even though administrative names change, information about destinations is still easily available".
In addition, Mr. Tu suggested that the place name should be associated with the outstanding characteristics of the locality, for example, Da Lat - City of Thousands of Flowers. This helps maintain a familiar image of the destination in the minds of tourists without needing an administrative name.
Newly established localities should quickly implement promotional campaigns and tell stories about the innovation of tourist destinations.
Although the name has been changed, the core values such as natural beauty, climate, culture, etc. of the destination are still maintained. At the same time, the expanded scope of the locality helps destinations connect with many other scenic spots, bringing visitors more experiences than before, said Mr. Tu.
