From November 13 to 16, the 17th “United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Asia/Pacific Executive Training Program on Tourism Policy & Strategy” conference took place for the first time at a Vietnamese university, namely Duy Tan, attended by senior government leaders, tourism administrators and others.
Recovering after the pandemic, tourism lacks executive manpower
The tourist industry was the first and most affected sector when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. However, once under control, it was then the field that recovered and redeveloped the strongest, because people always need to do go on excursions to enjoy the sights, learn more about the world, and look for new investment and development opportunities.
Director of the UNWTO Regional Department for Asia & the Pacific, Mr. Harry Hwang (left), and Vice Minister of Culture, Sports, & Tourism, Mr. Doan Van Viet
“World tourism has recovered to 84% of the pre-pandemic levels in the first 7 months of 2023,” said Director Harry Hwang. “The Middle East enjoyed the best recovery, with the number of visitors exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 20%. In Asia/Pacific, which once led in global tourism development and growth, visitor arrivals increased to 61% of pre-pandemic levels, as a result of the reopening of many key destinations and markets earlier this year, showing that tourism worldwide will recover almost completely by the end of this year. However, in Asia/Pacific, we are still experiencing some situations that could have a severely negative effect on tourism here, especially the continuing lack of qualified human resources. This was caused by experienced tourism staff being laid off during the pandemic, who have since moved to other different business sectors. This mass exodus of workers has only exacerbated the shortage, with no immediate solution in sight.”
Delegates at the conference
Delegates at the conference from several countries shared their experience and opinions and Vice-Minister of Culture, Sports & Tourism, Mr. Doan Van Viet explained: “We have already implemented several plans for the successful recovery of tourism in Vietnam, focusing on a safe, flexible and sustainable post-pandemic adaptation. Remarkably, Vietnam has already welcomed 10 million international visitors during the first ten months of 2023.
Delegates pose for a photo
Tourism recovered to 69% of the same period in 2019 and exceeded the initial target of 8 million visits for the whole of this year. To continue to recover and develop, we must now recognize and rethink tourism as sustainable and self-strengthening, pay more attention to the ecological environment and apply digital transformation technology to destination management. Most importantly of all, we must emphasize the essential availability of highly qualified staff and professional management in the tourism business throughout Vietnam. At this UMWTO conference, with presentations by industry-leading experts from member countries, I trust that together we will be able to expedite a stronger and more sustainable plan for the tourism industry in Asia/Pacific.”
Delegates from nineteen countries met at DTU to discuss the development of regional tourism
Director Harry Hwang said during the opening session of the conference: “Returning to Danang after seven years, I’m extremely impressed with the beauty of Vietnam, and I’m even more impressed by the extremely thoughtful preparation put into this conference. The Executive Training Program on Tourism Policy & Strategy is of vital importance and the discussions and the experience shared by leaders and experts here will help us address the challenge of the severe post-Covid labor shortage that the tourism industry is facing.”
DTU has greatly contributed to the education of high-quality tourism personnel and is the only Vietnamese university to have been awarded UNWTO TedQual accreditation for its programs in:
- International Hotel Management
- International Restaurant Operations Management
DTU was chosen as co-organizer of the Executive Training Program on Tourism Policy & Strategy conference. The major tourism development topics discussed were:
- Tourism education of tomorrow
- The shift in customer expectations and its impact on human resource development
- Upskilling and digital adaptability in tourism
- Building greater resilience in potential crises
49 delegates, leaders, managers, researchers, and experts from nineteen countries and territories in Asia/Pacific, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Vietnam, shared their ideas many opinions and contributions from the
Delegates at the UNWTO conference at DTU
(Media Center)