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Characteristics of Tourism Products


1.1.6.2 Characteristics of tourism products

Visible and invisible

- SPDL includes a set of visible elements mainly:

+ Natural resources such as: climate, landscape, mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls... Each locality has its own characteristics in terms of natural conditions, which contribute to creating unique characteristics for the SPDL.

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+ Basic facilities such as: hotels, restaurants, entertainment areas. These are the facilities that tourists use during their travel.

+ Related products: means of transport, specialties, souvenirs...

Characteristics of Tourism Products

- Invisible factors are divided into two types:

+ Tourism services: accommodation services, food services, tour guide services, shopping services... These services are very important in the process of diversifying tourism products. To have good tourism services, first of all, there must be a team of professional staff.

+ Psychological factors such as: luxury, social class, atmosphere, comfort, elegant lifestyle... As social life becomes more advanced, tourists pay more attention to these needs.

Diversity of ingredients

Normally, SPDLs have many constituent elements such as: infrastructure, types of services... This diversity is sometimes an obstacle to coordination and completion between different departments, even causing losses for SPDLs. Most of the time, SPDLs do not encompass both vertical and horizontal dimensions into a single organization, but are mostly the result of approval between related members whose interests are sometimes different, even conflicting. One of the prerequisites for creating a good SPDL is the harmonious combination between members: management agencies, local communities, hotel owners, restaurant owners, merchants and all those who provide related services. Therefore, it is necessary to make the goals of the members closer to each other.


come together and complement each other, identify and properly evaluate the participation of each member in the overall SPDL, must determine the position of SPDL and target markets for everyone to agree, promote all marketing activities of members.

The characteristics of tourism products

SPDL is a special service, which is a service product that is not destroyed after being used by tourists. The special features of SPDL are shown in the following characteristics:

- Tourist participation is necessary to deliver the service. Tourism requires tourists to exist.

- SPDL cannot be kept in inventory. Because, an unsold hotel room or an unsold plane seat cannot be kept in inventory.

- The inelasticity of supply relative to demand makes it impossible to increase the supply of SPDL in the short run.

- SPDL is not a product that can move to consumer markets, but on the contrary, markets must move towards SPDL. Therefore, the work of propaganda and promotion of SPDL is extremely important.

1.1.6.3. Basic elements of tourism products

Basic constituent elements

Like all other products, SPDL consists of many elements combined together to meet the target market, satisfying the maximum needs of tourists. SPDL includes the following basic elements:

- Natural resources: climate, natural beauty, mountains, forests, beaches, rivers, streams...

- Human resources: cultural heritages, historical relics, customs, festivals, historical architectural works, religious architectural works...

- Facilities serving the tourism industry: hotels, restaurants, parks, entertainment areas...

- Transportation system serving tourism: airplanes, trains, cars, buses, taxis, ships, boats...


- Infrastructure serving tourism: transportation system, electricity, water, post and telecommunications, healthcare...

- Economic and social environment: prices related to tourism activities, social security, intellectual level, urban civilization...

Adjacent environment

Natural elements are the source to create tourism products, requiring them to be surrounded by attractive buffer zones, only then can diverse, valuable and sustainable tourism products be created. This will be the place to expand other types of tourism to serve the potential needs of tourists.

Local population

Tourism provides opportunities for tourists to interact with local people. Tourists and locals often have different lifestyles and cultures. The relationship between them can cause conflicts. Therefore, the attitude of local people greatly affects tourists' perception of tourism products. Tourism is largely composed of factors that stimulate the soul and emotions. Aspects such as atmosphere, behavior, friendliness are decisive factors in evaluating a tourism product. This is an issue that should not be overlooked in the process of diversifying tourism products.

Public services for tourism

The basic elements of SPDL are often difficult to change, while public services can be easily changed and these elements have greatly contributed to improving the quality of SPDL, increasing the satisfaction of tourists. Building a conference center in the city, an entertainment area, a sports area, a park, planting many trees in the city... are factors that change the SPDL of a city or a tourist destination.

Accommodation, restaurants and commercial services

Tourists are people who leave their homes for a certain period of time, temporarily leaving their busy work to find a place to rest and relax. Tourists can stay in hotels, inns or in tents. Accommodation facilities and restaurants will be important factors that add value to the


SPDL. With wonderful natural landscapes, fresh and cool climate, next to luxurious and cozy hotels and restaurants, it will certainly create valuable SPDL for tourists.

Transport infrastructure

DL implies a movement of tourists out of their homes to their accommodation. Therefore, means of transport, roads, airports, ports... are extremely important factors for that movement to take place in the best conditions (less tired, less time consuming) and at the lowest cost. Means of transport in the city center such as buses, taxis, cyclos... and other travel conditions are issues that cannot be ignored within SPDL.

1.1.7. Sustainable development

The term “sustainable development” originated in German forest management practices in the 19th century, but it was not until the 1980s that it became widely used. In 1980, IUCN stated: “Sustainable development must take into account the exploitation of renewable and non-renewable resources, the advantages and disadvantages of organizing short-term and long-term action plans together.”

In 1987, WCED (World Commission on Environment and Development) founded by Ms. Groharlem Brundtland announced the term "sustainable development" in the report "Our common future" as follows : "Sustainable development is understood as development that can meet current needs without affecting or harming the ability to meet the needs of future generations".

According to the 1992 Earth Summit, held in Rio De Janeiro: “Sustainable development is formed in the integration, interweaving and compromise between three systems: the natural system, the economic system and the social system”.

Nowadays, almost all countries refer to “sustainable development” in the process of policy making and economic development management with the intention of emphasizing the responsible methods and use of development resources.


For Vietnam, "sustainable development" is expressed in Directive 36/CT of the Politburo, Central Executive Committee of the Party dated June 25, 1998: The goals and basic viewpoints of sustainable development are mainly based on environmental protection activities, ecological environment protection, and rational use of resources as an inseparable component of sustainable development.

1.1.8. Sustainable tourism development

* Concept of sustainable tourism (DLBV)

Sustainable tourism (SDT) appeared in 1996 on the basis of improving and upgrading the concept of soft tourism in the 90s and really attracted widespread attention. Although it has not reached the mature stage, it also shows the basic characteristics of SDT.

“Sustainable tourism is environmentally responsible travel and visitation to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature and any accompanying cultural features (both past and present) in a way that promotes conservation, has low visitor impact and provides beneficially active socio-economic involvement of host communities” (World Conservation Union, 1996). Also during this time, the World Travel and Tourism Council defined: “Sustainable tourism is tourism that meets the needs of present tourists and tourist areas while ensuring that future generations can meet their own needs”.

* Sustainable tourism development

According to the viewpoint of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, tourism development must be oriented and managed according to the motto: harmoniously combining the needs of the present and the future in both aspects of tourism production and consumption; exploiting, rationally using and developing natural tourism resources; focusing on preserving, embellishing and promoting the values ​​of humanistic tourism resources; preserving and promoting national cultural identity; avoiding modernization or distortion of the environment, landscape and relics; building and maintaining a healthy social environment; ensuring political security and social order and safety, especially in tourism urban areas and tourist attractions.

Thus, DLBV is not a tourism trend but a development platform.


DL of the times.

1.2 Practical basis for tourism development

1.2.1. Factors affecting tourism development

1.2.1.1. Internal factors

* Tourism resources

Tourism resources are a necessary condition for the development of one or several types of tourism. Tourism resources are objective and play a very important role in the development of tourism in a country or a locality. Territorial organization is one of the most important issues in tourism research, because it is impossible to organize and effectively manage this activity without considering the role of tourism resources in tourism development. Tourism is an industry with a clear resource orientation, resources directly affect the territorial organization of the tourism industry. The scale of tourism activities of a zone or region is determined on the basis of the volume of tourism resources. The attractiveness of a tourism zone or region depends largely on tourism resources, the quantity of resources available, and their quality has a special significance in the formation and development of tourism in that zone or region. A territory with many tourism resources, with high quality, attractiveness and the combination of rich resources, the stronger the attraction for tourists. Tourism resources are divided into 2 types: natural tourism resources and human tourism resources.

*Population and labor

Population is an important factor for tourism activities: both a productive force and a consumer force associated with the need for rest and tourism. The larger the population, the more labor force participating, the more conditions for tourism to develop.

*Political and policy factors

To develop tourism, in addition to resources being an important foundation, human factors and mechanisms are decisive:

- Political factors play an important role in tourism development in a locality.


a certain region or country. Political stability, security and order to ensure safety for tourists, tourism will develop and bring high efficiency. And conversely, a locality or country with unstable politics, no one will dare to visit and the tourism industry will not develop.

- Tourism development policies in particular and socio-economic development policies in general of each locality and each country have a great influence on the development of the tourism industry. Especially in the field of investment attraction, if the policy is open and flexible, towards integration and development, there will be many domestic and foreign investors interested in providing capital to help the tourism industry develop strongly. From there, tourism services will develop richly with many types and tourism products, the number of tourists will increase tourism revenue, bringing high economic efficiency. If the locality or country does not have open policies, incentives, and tax reductions for businesses and investors, then local tourism,

That country will have difficulty developing to compete with other places.

Tourism is a highly internationalized industry, requiring the connection of countries and peace and friendship between nations. Tourism cannot be developed in one country or one region, but needs to be expanded to all countries.

* Tourism control and workforce

State management organization and tourism labor resources are important and decisive resources in the tourism development of each country and each locality.

In localities with a perfect state management apparatus, high professional expertise, good qualities and effective work, the tourism industry develops well. The quantity, quality and character of workers in the tourism industry are also very important, they decide the level of tourism products and attract tourists. For that reason, each country and each locality needs to have a strategy for developing, training and using appropriate and correct human resources to develop tourism.

* Infrastructure

Including transportation, electricity, water, means of communication... are the premise for


all economic activities, including tourism. This is an important resource, creating attraction for tourists and facilitating tourism development.

In these conditions, transport infrastructure is the most important in tourism activities because:

+ Ensure human movement during the travel process

+ Create conditions for early and effective exploitation of tourism resources

+ DL has the potential to become a common phenomenon in society.

In developed countries, newly developed countries have synchronized transportation systems and modern information systems that have created conveniences, shortened spatial distances, and reduced product costs for tourists. These are favorable conditions that attract tourists and tourism business activities. In developing countries, including Vietnam, poor transportation systems limit the exploitation of tourism resources and the implementation of tourism activities.

* Technical material conditions

Technical facilities for tourism provide tourism products, meeting the needs of food, accommodation, shopping, sports, healthcare, cultural information services, etc.

Technical facilities play a role in ensuring that tourism operates normally, creating attractive amenities for tourists. Whether tourism activities in a locality or a country are developed or not, the level of attractiveness to tourists depends a lot on technical facilities for tourism.

In recent years, our country has paid attention to investing in tourism development, and tourism infrastructure has been significantly improved. However, compared to developed countries, our tourism infrastructure is still very poor, of low quality, lacking high-quality tourist areas, hotels, restaurants, especially entertainment areas and shopping areas. In addition, the construction of tourism infrastructure without planning, or poor planning, has had a negative impact on environmental resources and reduced business efficiency.

*DL marketing activities

Due to the characteristics of SPDL, it is often impossible to display or transport to the customer's place.

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