Not sharing data slows digital transformation in Vietnam tourism

The digital transformation in Vietnam across the sector has been underway for some time, but many tourism companies are holding back the process with their reluctance to share data.

Vũ Tiến Lộc, president of the Vietnam International Arbitration Center, stressed that the mindset of not sharing data is a setback for the development of big data in tourism.

He asked that the government start collecting data to kick off and that favorable policies be applied so that companies are more open in terms of their figures.

“It is not an easy task to establish a common database in tourism due to the no-share mentality. The government should take the lead and collect the data, and introduce favorable policies to encourage data sharing between companies,” he said.

Nguyễn Lê Phúc, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration (VNAT), revealed that a national tourism database will be developed in the short term.

The database will require the installation of a digital platform in each tourist company. Companies that have the platform will access the database, while those that do not have it will receive help installing it.

Nguyễn Trọng Đường, deputy director general of the Business Management Department, suggested a different idea.

He argued that companies should be allowed to develop their own platforms accessible to external users.

As a single platform, according to him, attracts up to a million users, the interconnection of those platforms would create a gigantic source of data of practical use.

The database will require the installation of a digital platform in each tourist company

“The data is generated by user transactions on those platforms. The more users, the more data, and therefore more benefits for tourism », she said.

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Ngô Minh Quân, CEO of Rikkeisoft, highlighted that data inconsistency is one of the main reasons why tourism companies do not take advantage of digitization, as inconsistent data is not useful for companies.

“Companies, even with data processing software, cannot extract any useful information from inconsistent data,” he said.

The CEO also said that data privacy and transparency are factors that companies need to focus on to protect their users. He suggested some technological solutions for it, such as blockchain and anonymity.

“Those solutions act as a shield against threats as data passes through systems,” he added.

Nguyễn Quyết Tâm, President and CEO of VietISO, attributed the slow pace of digitalization of tourism to the absence of a common database for all tourism companies.

Ngô Minh Quân, CEO of Rikkeisoft, highlighted that data inconsistency is one of the main reasons why tourism companies do not take advantage of digitization

Without such a database, it is difficult to produce reliable reports on the sector and make accurate forecasts.

Hà Văn Siêu, another deputy director general of VNAT, shared this opinion. He highlighted the close collaboration between central and local tourism authorities, the establishment of a national database and the creation of a digital platform for businesses and tourists as the three pillars of the digital transition in tourism.

Article republished from the Vietnamese state media VNA as part of an agreement between both parties to share content. Link to original article:https://vietnamnews.vn/Economy/1268985/non-sharing-mindset-holds-back-digital-transformation-in-tourism.html