Destination Marketing Solutions To Develop Hanoi Tourism

There are many resolutions and decisions on tourism development, but perhaps a resolution is needed to implement the resolutions that have been issued. Because, after the city issues a resolution, the implementation of the departments and branches has many problems. Therefore, from the high-level direction of the City People's Committee to the relevant departments and branches, it is necessary to be consistent, look at it correctly, and understand tourism correctly.

Conclude:

Since the preparation for the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, the tourism industry has recorded many positive changes in destination marketing activities for Hanoi tourism, many specific activities have been implemented. The activities are diverse in many contents and initially recorded the steady development of quantitative indicators such as the number of tourists, tourism revenue of Hanoi, growth over the years.

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However, a deep dive into the research of the destination marketing programs being implemented shows that the current programs are mainly implemented individually, in the direction of recognizing the shortcomings and correcting them instead of following a consistent roadmap. Therefore, it can be said that these programs have not fully met the development needs of destination marketing, ignoring many important marketing tools, focusing mainly on familiar management and promotion activities that have been implemented up to now (such as tourism fairs and trade promotion).

As a result, many problems of Hanoi tourism have not yet found a solution, such as environmental problems, prices, and damage to relics, causing negative impacts on the image of Hanoi tourism in the minds of customers.

To create effective changes in the development of Hanoi tourism, administrators must re-study, restructure, and review the current situation of Hanoi, thereby gradually implementing comprehensive destination marketing programs, along with activities to give more responsibility to businesses and people in Hanoi in building a strong and sustainable destination brand.

CHAPTER 3. DESTINATION MARKETING SOLUTIONS TO DEVELOP HANOI TOURISM

3.1. Analysis of Hanoi's tourism development potential

3.1.1. Analysis of tourism market potential

In recent years, the tourism industry has increasingly played an important role in contributing to the economic development of many countries around the world. According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 of the World Economic Forum, in 2013, the tourism and travel industry contributed 9% of the world's total GDP, about 6 trillion US dollars (USD), providing 120 million jobs directly related to tourism and more than 125 million jobs indirectly serving this industry.

The development potential and scale of the tourism industry are also emphasized in the January 2014 edition of the World Tourism Barometer of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). According to UNWTO, despite the global economic downturn that has occurred over the past five years, the world tourism industry has still achieved steady progress, with global tourist arrivals increasing by 5% in 2013, reaching 1,087 million, an increase of more than 52 million compared to 2012, and the tourism growth rate in 2014 is expected to remain at 4 - 4.5%. Total export earnings generated by tourism reached 1,400 trillion USD, and revenue from tourist spending increased by 5% to 1,187 billion USD in 2013.

The above results show a very positive outlook for the future development of the tourism industry, in the context of many other economic sectors in the world falling into recession. In addition, the tourism market is gradually shifting to Asia, accounting for 31% of total global tourism revenue (UNWTO World Tourism Barometer). Thus, with many consecutive years in the top 10 most attractive destinations in Asia ranked by Smart Travel Asia Magazine - the leading prestigious travel magazine in Asia, along with an extremely rich tourism product system, Hanoi holds a huge development potential.

However, the current state of tourism development in Hanoi shows that Hanoi is not taking advantage of its existing potential. To fully exploit and promote the internal strength of Hanoi tourism, managers need to clearly grasp the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of Hanoi, thereby proposing strategies to focus on promoting strengths, limiting and overcoming weaknesses to take advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges most effectively.

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3.1.2. SWOT analysis for Hanoi tourism

3.1.2.1. Strengths

Hanoi possesses a rich and diverse system of tourism products with cultural depth (S1) : With 5,175 historical and cultural relics, rich natural landscapes, a system of more than 20 museums, and many top entertainment centers in the country. In addition, unique cultural features are also the highlight of Hanoi tourism, represented by 1,350 traditional craft villages, 1,070 festivals, and Hanoi's famous culinary culture. This is the core potential for the development of Hanoi tourism. (Summary data from Chapter 2).

As the capital - the cultural, political and social center of the whole country (S2) : The position of the capital contributes significantly to attracting investment from the government, domestic and international organizations to develop infrastructure, transportation and surrounding services of Hanoi tourism. In addition, as a political center, Hanoi annually attracts a large number of tourists through conferences, seminars, implementing the tasks of the Government, and exchanging delegations at all levels. According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hanoi, in 2013, the number of tourists coming to Hanoi through MICE tourism accounted for 15.9%. With existing facilities, with experience in organizing large international conferences such as the Summit of French-speaking countries, the Summit of ASEAN countries, the ASEM 5 Conference, the APEC Conference... Hanoi is the leading city in Vietnam to organize large international conferences and seminars.

Fairly developed infrastructure (S3) : As the second largest city in the country and the political center, Hanoi's infrastructure is always focused on development and receives a lot of investment. Compared to other cities in the country, infrastructure can be considered Hanoi's strength. With Noi Bai International Airport, an increasingly improved road system, and a system of 1,800 accommodation establishments, of which 244 have been ranked, Hanoi has enough infrastructure capacity to serve many tourist markets from low, medium to high-end (Data - Accommodation - Chapter 2).

Hanoi – a safe and friendly destination (S4) : Although there are still many weaknesses in price and service management, the stable economic, political, security and peaceful conditions are always a plus for the tourism environment of Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular. In the context of unstable security in many areas, customers tend to choose locations that ensure the highest safety for them. Moreover, giving tourists a sense of security will help them fully enjoy the value of the trip, enhancing the perceived value.

3.1.2.2. Weaknesses

Low service quality (W1) : With the result that nearly 100% of respondents rated low and felt dissatisfied with the service quality at tourist service locations such as restaurants and shopping centers conducted by Vietnamnet in 2013, it shows a big minus point in the service quality of Hanoi. In addition, the lack of strict monitoring and control of prices leads to the behavior of forcing tourists, especially foreign tourists (as mentioned in Chapter 2), which strongly affects customers' assessment of the service quality of Hanoi tourism.

Deterioration in quality of tourism products (W2) : Statistics from the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism show that there are currently more than 600 historical and cultural relics in the city that are deteriorating and seriously damaged. The lack of synchronous and systematic plans to repair and preserve tourism products; along with lax management, causing many relics to be damaged by the people living around them, are weaknesses that are dragging down the image of Hanoi tourism.

Low awareness of people (W3) : As people who directly work and live on the land that holds the most cultural and political importance of the country, however, a large number of people living in Hanoi are not aware of the important position of the place where they live as well as their role in contributing to the image of a modern civilized capital. Evidence is the act of littering into the environment, polluting most of the rivers and lakes in the Hanoi area, damaging relics, as well as taking advantage of tourists. The weakness in people's awareness also reveals the weakness in the ability to propagate, mobilize and orient people to improve their understanding, awareness and pride for the capital of Hanoi tourism administrators.

Destination marketing programs still have many gaps and are not really effective (W4) : In reality, the number of international visitors to Hanoi each year is still very modest, reaching 2.5 million international visitors at the end of 2013, which is a result showing growth compared to previous years. However, compared to the potential of the destination and compared to the capitals of neighboring countries in the region (Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia, Bangkok - Thailand, Singapore, Jakarta - Indonesia...), this number is still too small. In addition, important issues such as brand building and brand positioning for Hanoi have not been focused on, specifically, there has not been any destination marketing program focusing on the two core issues above.

Not paying enough attention to the media (W5) : With the current situation of implementing advertising projects about Hanoi tourism individually on a limited number of advertising media, Hanoi has not been able to fully utilize the spreading power of the media.

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The evidence is the very few advertisements about Hanoi tourism on television channels and travel magazines both domestically and internationally. In addition, besides television and magazines, Hanoi advertising has been ignoring a very powerful tool, the Internet, which is a major shortcoming that reduces the effectiveness of advertising programs.

Entering the market quite late (W6): While many European cities such as Paris, Rome, London, Bachelona… and many other regions of Asia such as Bangkok, Singapore, Beijing, Seoul… have been famous as big tourism brands for many years, Hanoi in Vietnam has only focused on tourism development in the last 10 years. The lack of a strong brand is a major weakness of Hanoi compared to its competitors, as it is an important factor affecting customers' choices.

3.1.2.3. Opportunities

Tourism industry is constantly growing (O1) : Figures released by the World Tourism Organization in early 2014 show that, in the context of a relatively gloomy economy, tourism is still able to develop its potential. This shows that, with proper planning and implementation of destination marketing programs, Hanoi always has the opportunity to create a strong change in the city's ability to attract tourists.

The instability of famous tourist destinations in the region is an opportunity for Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular (O2) : Taking advantage of the instability of competitors will create great opportunities for Hanoi tourism. For example, prolonged political instability leading to a coup in Thailand, bombings and terrorist attacks in Malaysia, Indonesia or China; from which Hanoi - Vietnam has emerged as one of the top safe tourist destinations in the region and the world. Political, cultural and security instability in the competitive market will directly impact customers' decision to choose a destination, shifting their choices to areas with higher levels of stability and safety. According to the ECFTSQH survey, 54.24% of tourists think that a stable political environment is important and 23.31% think that factor is very important in their decision to choose a destination, showing the opportunities that Hanoi has.

In the era of integration, tourists come with the purpose of organizing and attending conferences and seminars more and more (O3) : In the trend of globalization, international conferences and seminars are organized more and more to enhance understanding between countries in the world. As the capital of a country, Hanoi has great opportunities in developing MICE tourism. Each group of visitors coming to Hanoi to attend conferences and seminars is also a group of tourists from Hanoi, creating sympathy with them, which is an effective way to promote Hanoi tourism to the world.

The tourism market is gradually shifting to Asia (O4) : Up to now, European countries have always been the most attractive tourism markets in the world. However, in recent years, figures from the World Tourism Organization show that the world tourism market is shifting strongly to Asia, with the fastest growth rate in the world. In 2013, Asia accounted for 31% of total tourist spending, an increase of 8% compared to 2012. Thus, being considered one of the emerging markets in Asia, Hanoi will have more opportunities in this shift.

Highly rated by international travel magazines (O5) : Being in the top 10 most attractive tourism markets in Asia voted by Travel Asia magazine, ranked 5th in 2013, up 3 places compared to 2012. Hanoi is facing a great opportunity to develop its tourism brand. However, being highly rated must go hand in hand with improving the quality of tourism to create sustainable development for the capital's tourism.

3.1.2.4. Threats

Fierce competition (T1) : Not only Vietnam, many countries in the world have realized the great potential of the tourism industry, and have focused strongly on developing this smokeless industry. The large number of tourism markets in the world always strive to attract a limited number of tourists, so destinations always try to maximize their potential to promote their tourism brands, creating fierce competition in the tourism industry. In addition, right in Vietnam, tourist cities always compete with each other.

 Direct foreign competitors: Asian cities with many similar characteristics in nature, culture, and tourism costs are direct competitors of Hanoi such as: Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta...

 Direct domestic competitors: Big cities with similar economic and natural conditions to Hanoi such as: Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hai Phong...

After the recession, the global economy recovers slowly (T2) : Since the global economic crisis in 2009, leading to public debt of a series of countries in the European Union, the world economy in general and Vietnam in particular, began to show signs of improvement in 2014, but it is still very slow, the World Bank's economic recovery forecast has been continuously lowered, the latest level announced on June 10, 2014 is 1.9%. It shows that although the tourism industry is still developing steadily, tourists will still be cautious and consider carefully in choosing a tourist destination that ensures reasonable prices and quality worthy of the money they spend. This is a challenge.

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major role in price management and dealing with the price scandals that Hanoi has been facing for many years.

Tourists' demands are increasingly high (T3) : The development of media means that tourists' grasp of information about locations is increasingly complete and accurate, they can easily compare the strengths and weaknesses of destinations and make decisions, which makes tourists' evaluation and requirements when choosing a place to visit increasingly strict. To attract tourists, Hanoi must demonstrate its competitive advantages over its competitors more clearly and convincingly.

3.1.3. Conclusion

Synthesizing the above assessments, it can be seen that the strengths that Hanoi possesses mainly come from objective conditions, due to the historical development process, natural conditions... while the weaknesses are mainly due to human causes, from people's awareness, lack of interest, lack of ideas, lack of "fire" of destination managers. Problems that have been going on for many years are very difficult to change overnight, however, if we do not look directly at the internal weaknesses and propose short-term and long-term change plans, Hanoi tourism will hardly be able to make significant progress to compete with the already strong competitors in the region and the world.

In the following sections, the study will focus on proposing destination marketing solutions to overcome some limitations of Hanoi tourism through comprehensive studies on Hanoi tourism characteristics, theories and practices of destination marketing.

3.2. Solutions to develop Hanoi tourism brand

A tourist destination is a special product, because it has its own "brand" without being affected by any marketing program. The intrinsic characteristics of the destination also have the ability to make many people know about it through word of mouth. However, this process requires a lot of time, and is only truly effective when the outstanding characteristics of the destination are always maintained in the best state. In an era of competition, relying on "good wine needs no bush" is no different from putting a place at a disadvantage compared to other competitors. According to ECFTSQH research, 62.7% of tourists believe that brand is an important to very important factor in their decision to choose a tourist destination. Thus, branding is affirmed to be a prerequisite for the development of a destination.

To build a brand for Hanoi, there needs to be a tight roadmap, well-invested and specifically planned step by step:

Step 1: Establish an implementation team with the NTO as the main responsible organization. For Hanoi, the main responsible organization can be the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, or the Hanoi People's Committee, or a combination of both organizations. Project team members are highly specialized in fields directly related to tourism, such as history, culture, education, arts and communications, and marketing.

Step 2: Plan and conduct market research, record feedback from the public (experts in the tourism and marketing industries, and people living in Hanoi). From there, find a representative image that is supported by the majority of the public, facilitating brand promotion in the following stages.

Step 3: Form the core idea of the brand, connect images and symbols, design the brand: Build the brand identity of the destination such as colors, symbols, images, logos, slogans...

Step 4: Communicate the message and promote.

This research paper will focus on branding solutions from the step of recording public feedback to strategies to complete the brand identity and promote Hanoi's destination marketing brand.

3.2.1. Building Hanoi tourism brand

Building a brand identity is one of the first steps in the process of building a product brand. However, current Hanoi destination marketing programs only focus on promoting Hanoi tourism products when there is no official brand identity, this is a very contradictory and unreasonable point of current Hanoi destination marketing.

3.2.1.1. Building brand identity

Collect opinions from the public (people, tourism experts, tourism businesses in Hanoi):

Regarding the symbol of the capital, in fact, at the voting session to pass the Capital Law on the afternoon of November 21, 2012, the National Assembly voted to approve the choice of Khue Van Cac at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam as the symbol of the capital. This is also a symbol used in many logos associated with Hanoi. However, using the Hanoi tourism logo with the image of Khue Van Cac is monotonous, superficial, and does not contain a message as the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is doing now, absolutely does not bring any support effect to the Hanoi tourism brand, because an effective logo must include a clear and distinctive symbol, color and message. When looking at the current logo used by the Department, tourists and international friends cannot feel anything from it. Besides, according to the opinions of many cultural and marketing experts, the choice of logo

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