Promoting the potential and unique identity of each locality to build tourism products is a right direction. However, in the context of great challenges, a movement is required for tourist destinations to survive and develop, which need to change their approaches and perspectives in term of development so as to attract visitors.
Visitors were enjoying tea at Tinh Tam Lake within the program of Hue Lotus Festival 2023
“Getting bored of eating the same food over and over”
At Thanh Toan tiled-roof bridge on weekends, it is a good thing that the night market there is attracting visitors quite well. Food stalls and several activities, including displaying, introducing and purchasing handicraft products and specialties in the market area located along the riverside, near the tiled-roof bridge, are always crowded with visitors.
In the parking lots, along with a large number of motorbikes, there are also many cars from other provinces, whose owners come to visit and experience. According to the estimates by local authority, the night market welcomes an average of 3,000-5,000 locals and visitors per night.
Positive signals from exploiting the strengths of relics, creating tourism products bearing local imprints and meeting the diverse demand of visitors, have been demonstrated in Thuy Thanh Commune, or destinations in highland tourism of A Luoi, among many other localities. However, besides the positive side, many concerns will also appear if the renewal of tourism products is not regularly retained.
When asking five to seven visitors questions about their return to the night market at Thanh Toan tiled-roof bridge, we received many short but meaningful answers that: "Will come back if there are new things". One visitor just explained: “This night market is held for three days at the weekend. I have come here many times to experience. If the market on Friday is just the same as on Saturday and Sunday; and this week is also the same as the other weeks, it will be difficult to attract visitors to come back again and again.”
A local of Phuoc Tich ancient village was making banh uot to serve visitors
When it's crowded, concerns also exist in tourist destinations. That is how to maintain and retain visitors, and attract them coming back. There is a worrying fact that the Hue Imperial Citadel Night Street has welcomed a small number of visitors after more than a year of opening. Many locals and visitors give out many explanations for that, with the majority mentions that there are not many highlights and novelties in tourism products to attract visitors.
According to tourism experts, if in the past, the perspective on tourism product development, based on resources and suppliers, which played an active role, now that it has been changed. It is now an approach based on visitor experience, in which visitors are no longer just spectators who can only enjoy the beauty of nature or listen to the introduction of cultural and historical values, but have become active participants in tours and experiences. Therefore, the creation and renewal of tourism products must be concerned.
According to a study on tourism (the TripBarometer Research on TripAdvisor), data about main travel trends in recent years show that the top tourism trend is seeking new experiences. Therefore, from the perspective of tourism supply, destinations need to pay more attention to the experience and connectivity in their tourism product and service system in order to be more creative and diverse, creating the identity and uniqueness, especially in the context of increasingly fierce competition between destinations.
Changing to adapt
With favorable nature and unique strengths, Thua Thien Hue chooses tourism as a key economic sector. In order to develop tourism, it is necessary to synchronize many factors, from mobilizing investment resources, connecting transport infrastructure, linking between local authorities - businesses - tourist destinations, and communication; while an equally important factor is the renewal of tourism products at tourist destinations and resorts.
According to Ms. Cai Thi Duyen, Head of Culture and Information Office of Huong Thuy Town, there are still many concerns in the development of community tourism at tourist destinations. While there are quite a few ideas to develop community tourism products, for example in Thuy Thanh, human resources are still small, and efforts from the tourism community are not fully committed. There is also a shortage of enterprises directly engaged in tourism in the locality... Therefore, though there is a lot of potential, tourism experiences and products have not been developed in a diversified manner.
Difficulties will continue to exist if the change is delayed. When the problem of attracting visitors is solved, the invitation of enterprises and the participation of community tourism players will be more positive, from the common benefits.
In addition to regularly surveying visitors' opinions, tourist destinations are also actively building programs, innovating quality, content and experiences to create new things for visitors. A number of tourism products and activities with highlights and changes over time are also being planned, so as to better meet visitors' demand to experience new things.
Story and photos: Huu Phuc