Hanoi has been accelerating digital transformation and smart tourism to create breakthroughs in the tourism sector, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.  

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely reduced the growth rate of the capital's tourism sector, causing great difficulties and challenges for businesses, organizations and individuals, the department said, adding that digital transformation could help a strong recovery period and development of the entire tourism sector after the pandemic.

It added that many solutions have been proposed to accelerate the recovery. Among them, Hanoi’s tourism sector identifies digital transformation as a fundamental, inevitable and long-term solution, especially in Industry 4.0 which has been developing and affecting all aspects of social life.

Visitors scan electronic ticket code at Temple of Literature in Hanoi. Photo: Minh Anh

"Effective digital transformation will help tourism enterprises flexibly adapt to market changes. On the basis of new technologies, tourism service enterprises can bring convenient, safe and fast experiences to tourists through audio guide systems, QR codes and travel apps," the department stated.

It has actively coordinated with the units to apply information technologies in management, as well as build an intelligent tourism system to improve competitiveness in terms of technology in the tourism industry, creating many services with high added value and increasing convenience for tourists.

Specifically, Hanoi's tourism sector has focused on creating an integrated database in the city's system, regularly updating Hanoi's tourism website to link tourists and travel agencies, as well as tourism regulators.

In addition, the department has also launched the digitization of tourist destinations with 3D technologies to provide visitors with unique and targeted images and information about tourist attractions.

So far, there have been 27 destinations in Hanoi that have deployed data and image digitization and promoted the capital's tourism image on Facebook, Youtube, Tiktok and other online platforms.  

Hanoi has also installed wifi hotspots in key tourist areas with a large concentration of tourists, including Hoan Kiem Lake walking street and surrounding areas, President Ho Chi Minh's relic site, Presidential Palace, Thang Long Imperial Citadel relic, Temple of Literature, Hanoi Book Street, Huong Son Scenic Landscape, Trinh Cong Son walking street, Noi Bai International Airport.

At the Temple of Literature, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Hanoi's tourism sector has applied QR code, automatic ticket control, guest management software to improve their management.

The municipal Department of Tourism also promotes communication and advertising activities in cyberspace via promotion programs, exhibitions, online product introduction, on new technology platforms.