Experts give recovery strategies for the Hospitality industry

JANUARY 8 - The UEF International Institute jointly cooperated with business partners to organize a workshop themed "THE RESILIENCE IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY IN VIETNAM DURING THE COVID CRISIS", providing students in the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management with opportunities to obtain practical experience in terms of the 'new normal' from multinational enterprises.

The workshop honorably had the presence of the resource speakers included Ms. Anh Truong – Former Training and Development Manager Odyssea Hospitality Management Company and resource speakers from Accor Group included Mr. Quan Nguyen – Room Division Manager at Ibis Styles Vung Tau; Mr. Son Le – Cluster Director of Food and Beverage at Ibis Styles Hotels – Mercure Vung Tau Hotel and Resort; Ms. Tran Le – Cluster Assistant Learning and Development Manager at ibis Styles Hotels – Mercure Vung Tau Hotel and Resort. 

Dr. Do Huu Nguyen Loc, Vice President, Director of UEF International Institute and leaders, faculty members of Hospitality and Tourism Management and International Institute, represented UEF.

The speakers presented multidimensional view into Tourism - Hospitality Industry in the new normal

Dr. Do Huu Nguyen Loc delivered his opening remarks of the workshop: “The Covid-19 pandemic has been badly affecting tourism, one of the critical sectors in the Vietnamese economy. Meanwhile, significant changes have been made in the forms of business organization in the field of Hospitality and Tourism Management, leading to negative impacts on labor’s incomes at times. Therefore, with the participation of experienced experts, the workshop aiming at the resilience of the Tourism and Hospitality industry in Vietnam during the Covid-19 crisis today hopes to provide you with practical knowledge and profound insights in the field”.

Dr. Do Huu Nguyen Loc shared the advantages of the workshop 

The statistics from the Accor group presented by Ms. Anh Truong show that the number of overseas travelers in 2020 declined by 53% due to the worse situation of the pandemic. However, it is predicted that the number of international tourists will increase until 2025. Looking on the bright side, although the number of abroad travelers plummeted in quite a long time, some hotels could still maintain a certain amount of domestic customers. This highly requires enterprises to make proper adaptations to bring the best service for their customers.  
 

The analyzed statistics

According to the speakers, the valuable lessons learned from this crisis were how to manage risks, adapt, and never lose heart, which laid the foundation for the quarantine hotel model of the Accor group. Additionally, all the staff have been trained on Covid-19 prevention measures to ensure safety for themselves and customers. 

The speakers took a tour of the learning environment at UEF

Plus, there are pieces of advice which would help students whose major is Hospitality and Tourism Management, thrive on manners. In particular, in the service sector, employees must ensure customers’ satisfaction, be patient, calm, and able to convey positive energy to clients. 

Through the workshop, students in Tourism - Hospitality Management, especially UEFers,  are given updates of trends, new knowledge, work-integrated experiences, and effective ways to adapt to the 'new normal'.

Nguyen Le

Photos: The Thang