The COVID-19 pandemic created a severe purge of the tourism industry, bringing many challenges, requiring people who work for the industry to constantly adapt and innovate. This is being done well by tourist agencies in Can Tho.

A typical example is the community-based tourism model in Son Islet. Through 2 waves of COVID-19, the locals on Con Son islet respond quickly and forcefully to the pandemic. They not only protect the safety of the community but also create new products. After the epidemic is under control, tourism on Con Son islet continues to develop. After the first wave, the locals on Con Son islet introduced a series of new services and products with the experience named “New Day at Con Son islet” in May 2020. Tourists everywhere flock to Con Son islet to watch spoon-feeding fish with rice, experience fish massage, make young rice cake ... After the second wave, in September, there is another interesting tourism product that tourists love: Snakehead fish “sucking” food from milk bottles.

Ms. Le Thi Be Bay, Consultant of Con Son community-based tourism, said: “We turn challenges into opportunities. While not receiving customers, we perfect old products and build new ones. Everyone is also improving their knowledge and skills like learning English, participating in tourism training courses, first aid courses or community activities, etc. We use our hearts and our desire to progress to retain tourists”. Con Son community-based tourism aims towards sustainability and responsibility to the environment and the community. The locals do tourism from gardens, fish, ponds, etc. At the same time, they constantly learn how to increase product value. For example, Mr. Ho Cong Minh takes advantage of his home garden to make longan honey, in combination with his grandfather's craft of making young rice cake and his mother’s famous folk cake brand of Bay Muon, to create a special dish of young rice cake for Con Son islet. Cong Minh garden house, therefore, has a new service to experience making young rice cake that attracts many visitors.

To be creative to adapt and develop is what many tourism companies in Can Tho aim to achieve. Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, the owner of Canthofarm, said: “When I start Canthofarm, I decide to do something different which is not for competing with other farmers. I aim to create experience and education in agriculture”. As a result, Canthofarm not only has hydroponic vegetables but also has a variety of unique new crops and services that attract tourists. Having been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Phong renewed the service chain and created more activities. Currently, Canthofarm is building a vineyard, besides a folk cake market, a workshop (a craft course on making traditional products…) every weekend. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Suong, in charge of exploiting agricultural activities at Bao Gia Farm Camping, said: “When we aim towards sustainable tourism, we are not afraid of challenges or difficulties, because we are flexible. During a temporary closure due to COVID-19, we still produce agricultural products and continue to research, create, and build new products. We not only build our own space for the workshop but also create new products such as mental health treatment course, refreshing ourselves with soft skill courses”.

Many tourist agencies in Can Tho have flexibly converted and created many new products. For example, a new river tour with Victoria cruise is established by Victoria Can Tho. Ms. Vo Xuan Thu, Director of Victoria Can Tho, said: “We change the international river route of Can Tho - Phnom Penh, to the inland river route of Can Tho - An Giang”. The product is called Mekong Wellness Cruise. Visitors can participate in a journey to explore the Western region of the high water season, join some Yoga classes, outdoor meditation, workshop ... to purify the body, and take care of the mental health.

The tourist companies and garden owners in Can Tho always actively innovate services and create new products. The flexibility in product development is in accordance with the project “Restructuring the tourism industry to meet the requirements of developing into a key economic sector” deployed by the People's Committee of Can Tho city. Accordingly, Accordingly, the city will prioritize the development of products with high added-value and enhance visitors’ experience. The project strongly focuses on the development of key tourism product lines that have advantages in nature and culture such as cultural tourism (associated with the development and experience of different types of culture, artistic performance, cuisine), ecotourism (relaxation, sight-seeing, agricultural tourism); urban tourism (promoting nightlife activities for entertainment, shopping, MICE tourism). Furthermore, the city will develop new tourism products such as thematic tourism products (medical tourism, beauty tourism, sports, and entertainment tourism); build modern shopping centers, establish the system of souvenir shops with regional specialties, and traditional handicraft products; experience and discover the indigenous cultures, customs, knowledge, the local cuisine; actively respond to community activities associated with the protection of natural resources and culture. Moreover, the authorities of Can Tho city keep on promoting connectivity and improving the quality of the value chain of tourism products; strengthening destination management, ensuring a safe, clean, civilized, and friendly environment for visitors and the locals.

In fact, tourist agencies in Can Tho city are having approaches close to those in the above project, creating momentum for Can Tho tourism to quickly recover and develop in the right direction. This effort needs support from the local authorities, with appropriate tourism stimulus policies and programs.