While briefly talking about the future of global tourism “in one word”, VNAT’s Chairman highlighted digitalization is expected to continue propelling and revolutionising global tourism industry, especially the increasing demand for digital travel services from the COVID-19 pandemic. It requires tourist businesses and destinations to more effectively apply new technologies for developing digital tourism products, ensuring safety and providing more interesting and exciting experiences.

Over the past decade, Vietnam has been an emerging and attractive destination in the Asia-Pacific region and its tourism has achieved the growth rate of international tourists among the top in the world and the impressive growth of domestic tourists, said VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh.

To revive tourism after the heavy impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese Government has implemented many solutions to financial, fiscal and social security packages for tourism workers, as well as retraining programs for tourism human resources in the coming time.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh also informed that the Vietnamese Government has agreed to a pilot plan to reopen international tourism by the end of 2021. Vietnam tourism hopes to receive closer cooperation from UNWTO and its partners through activities and projects for tourism recovery.

The “FUTURE OF TOURISM WORLD SUMMIT” was co-organized by UNWTO, the Advanced Leadership Foundation and the Incyde Foundation of the Chambers of Commerce of Spain to identify solutions for the tourism industry’s future.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “This Summit makes clear the importance of collaboration, as well as the vital role funding tourism and harnessing the power of innovation will play in building a more resilient and sustainable tourism.”

The Summit will culminate in the ‘Barcelona Call to Action’, a statement of intent signed by governments, destinations and businesses outlining a shared vision for a greener, more inclusive and resilient tourism, citing the sector’s potential contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals and the shift to net-zero.

At the Summit, tourism leaders gave their opinions on the future of the tourism industry, including: Sustainability, Connectivity, Opportunity, Innovation and Diversity. In which, the most interested solutions included tourism recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, restarting tourism, supporting tourist businesses and workers, training of human resources, digital transformation, sustainable tourism development in the future.

Tourism Information Technology Center