Enterprises introduced various digital technologies in tourism during the Festival. Photo: Kieu Mai.
The Festival is one of the key activities within the Program for Collaborative Development of Tourism between Ho Chi Minh City and the 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta in 2023. This event aims to connect and establish a digital ecosystem foundation for tourism development among the 14 provinces and cities, introduce digital technology platforms in tourism operations, and create a space for connectivity and exchange between technology and tourism enterprises. The Festival consists of a series of events, including exhibitions showcasing technology platforms in tourism, promoting trade between technology and tourism entities, and seminars: "Driving Growth through Digital Technology in the Tourism Industry," "Digital Transformation for Sustainable Growth with Loyal Customers," and a forum on "Digital Transformation in Tourism - The Driving Force for Sustainable Development."
Delegates participating in the digital transformation exhibition. Photo: Kieu Mai.
In his opening speech at the forum, Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hien emphasized that digital transformation is an essential requirement and an inevitable trend in the economic and social activities of localities. Accordingly, Can Tho City aims to be one of the top 5 provinces and cities nationwide in the development of the information technology industry, and to be among the leading 10 provinces and cities in applying information technology in state agency activities. Regarding tourism, Can Tho has implemented a Smart Tourism Portal and a Smart Tourism Application for mobile devices. This has contributed to enhancing the effectiveness of supporting tourism management activities, connecting residents, tourists, and businesses for interaction and data sharing, attracting more than 8 million visits with an average of over 7,000 daily interactions. This digital transformation forum will facilitate the exchange of experiences among localities in digital transformation efforts, aiming to foster connections and promote tourism development between different regions.
During the forum, delegates highlighted the potential for tourism development in the Mekong Delta region with its unique tourism products ranging from destinations to culture and cuisine. However, Mekong Delta tourism is not widely known, and one identified issue is that marketing and promotional communication have not been optimized. Based on this, delegates analyzed and proposed solutions, applications, strategies, and suitable technological platforms to harness the region's potential, adapt to the market, improve tourism databases, establish a Smart Tourism Operations Center, enhance the digital transformation capabilities of the workforce, and strengthen experiential activities for tourists.
On this occasion, enterprises have signed agreements to support the application of technology in tourism activities with the 14 provinces and cities.
