Opening Ceremony of the Training Course for Civil Servants and Public Employees in Tourism Management in Hanoi City

The training course was implemented according to Decision No. 2315/QD-UBND dated April 17, 2017, of the Hanoi People's Committee on approving the Project "Improving the quality of training and fostering the team of officials, civil servants, and public employees of Hanoi city in the period 2016 - 2020". The course lasted from September 21, 2020, to October 2, 2020, including time for learning, writing assignments, and field surveys.

The course content is divided into two training programs: “Enhancing knowledge of effective tourism management and development in 2020” for 45 district-level officials specializing in tourism management, and leaders of commune and ward People's Committees with tourist attractions, and “Professionalizing the operations of public service units to promote domestic tourism in 2020” for 32 officials and leaders of public service units in Hanoi providing public services related to tourism development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Trung Hieu said that from 2016 to 2019, Hanoi's tourism sector achieved impressive results. The contribution of the tourism industry to the city's GDP increased from 8.07% in 2017 to 12.54% in 2019. However, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic from the end of 2019, the number of tourists decreased sharply, resulting in an estimated 61.1% decrease in total tourism revenue compared to 2019. To revive Hanoi's tourism industry in line with the set direction and ensure a relatively high and sustainable growth rate, it is essential to improve the management capacity, expertise, and professional skills of tourism officials and staff. This training course was organized with that goal in mind.

Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Trung Hieu (left) and Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities Tran Thi Minh Hoa

For her part, Associate Professor Tran Thi Minh Hoa (Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) also mentioned the challenges in the tourism industry in general and in the context of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in particular. To truly restore and create sustainable development for the tourism industry in the "new normal," tourism staff need to be trained with more systematic professional knowledge and skills. The Vice Rector expressed her belief that the course will provide useful knowledge that will serve the tourism work of the trainees well. The Vice Rector also thanked the Hanoi Department of Tourism for continuing to trust and choose the University as the venue for this meaningful training course.

To ensure the training program achieves its objectives, participants are requested to demonstrate a high sense of responsibility and seriousness, strictly adhere to the program and regulations of the training course, listen attentively to the instructors' presentations, and proactively engage in discussions to resolve difficulties and obstacles encountered during the implementation of tourism management and development activities.

The trainees will study the following topics: Current status and challenges facing the tourism industry in the capital city, state management of tourism, orientation for developing tourism products, promoting tourism products, the tourism industry in the context of international integration and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, building tourism destination brands, organizing festivals and tourism events, and developing sustainable tourism in the capital city. Following the specialized modules are practical sessions and written assignments.