Hanoi (VNA) – Cities and localities across the country have devised their own digital transformation programmes, which shows they have realised the importance of digital transformation to tourism development.

Such local programmes were devised after the launch ofa National Digital Transformation Programme that targets to raise the share of the digital economy to20 percent of Vietnam’s GDP by 2025.

According to a survey on tourism demand and trend amidCOVID-19, conducted by the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), 40 percent ofthe respondents preferred online tour booking, and only 12-15 percent chose thetraditional booking method via travel firms.

Many localities with tourism strength have proventheir dynamism in digital transformation. An example is the central province of ThuaThien-Hue which has signed cooperation documents with businesses such as Vietsoftpro,Tiktok, Viettel VTS and Zalo to promote its tourist sites at home andabroad.

Meanwhile, the central province of Thanh Hoa has piloted asmart travel platform that applies the Augmented Reality (AR) technology that empowerstravel companies to provide unique and imaginative narratives with virtualtours.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism hascooperated with the northern province of Ha Giang in tourism developmentthrough digital transformation and smart tourism.

It has also partnered with Google to launch the “GoogleArts & Culture – Wonders of Vietnam”project, using Google Arts & Culture – an online platform which allows the public to view high-resolution images and videos of artworksand cultural artefacts throughout the world.

The ‘Wonders of Vietnam’ offers nearly 1,400 imagesand videos, divided into different topics such as ‘The World’s Largest Cave’,‘Landmark Bridges’, ‘Deep Green Lagoons’, ‘Ancient History’, and ‘HandmadeHeritage’.

Facebook and the Ministry of Planning and Investment havejointly rolled out a tourism programme on social platforms, contributing to promotingVietnam’s image.

Ho Chi Minh City is one of the pioneers in tourismdevelopment through diverse digital marketing channels.

The HCM City Tourism Festival was held both offlineand online for the first time last December, utilising websites, e-commerceplatform Shopee and Traveloka, an online travel agent.

Thanks to 2D and 3D platforms, visitors experiencedthe virtual exhibition booths, and received direct support and advice throughmessage or email. They also made direct transactions to buy their favouriteproducts and found super promotions in line with the time frame of the stalls.

The event is the first online exchange in Vietnam in tourism.

The municipal Department of Tourism has also steppedup connectivity with travel firms, making it easier for tourist to accessservices.

Particularly, the department has coordinated withOnicorn Media in developing the HoChiMinhCity Tourism app that enables users tofind information about the city’s destinations more easily./.