Hue travel passport expected to be used in the coming time
Visitors will get the benefit
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Tourism said that travel passport was not the new service in the world, but it was still quite new to the domestic tourism industry. Travel passport is not only like a bankcard, but it also has many other utilities. When using this travel passport, visitors can make the payment for all services in Hue including going sightseeing, dining, taking taxis, staying at hotels, and shopping at souvenir shops, etc.
According to tourism businesses, the most important things of the travel passport are its usability and that it is easily to be used. If using the travel passport takes visitors a long time to create their accounts, or does not bring much value relative to cash, visitors would find it difficult to use the travel passport.
Mr. Tong Xuan Thuy, Director of Viettel Pay, Viettel Thua Thien Hue Branch, which is a partner that the Provincial People's Committee cooperates to develop the travel passport, said that there would be two types of travel passport. If users are Hue citizens with long-term use of services, the travel passport is applied as an identification card. If they are visitors from other provinces or international visitors, the travel passport is applied as a scratch card.
Visitors can buy any travel passport with any denomination based on their demand. Visitors, going to Hue by any means of transportation, will be provided with the travel passport at transportation partners, hotels, tourist destinations, or shopping places.
“This travel passport is just like a normal ATM card, visitors can withdraw cash at any ATM and completely free of charge. It can also be used to pay on bank’s POS device, or to scan a QR Code to pay. In the future, the form of payment on Hue travel passport will be integrated into Hue-S platform, becoming the online payment hub of the province,” Mr. Tong Xuan Thuy said.
In some parts of the world, when a travel passport is used, the price of tourism services will be discounted, but visitors have to use up the amount in their cards. Particularly for Hue travel passport, which is about to be used, the tourism industry confirms that visitors can add money when the card runs out of it; and after the tour ends, they can withdraw the excess.
The tourism industry will build a supply chain of hotels, restaurants, transportation services, and shopping, etc., when visitors use the travel passport at these places, they will be discounted. The discount is high or low depending on the number and the amount of money that visitors have spent. All transaction history is recorded on the system, so that the discount policy will be automatically applied without having to list it again.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Binh, Chairman of the Provincial Residents’ Association, assessed that this form of payment is applied not only to visitors but also to establishments, in which they must improve the quality of services, increase the ability to attract visitors and add more opportunities for visitors’ satisfaction. Currently, most accommodation facilities are equipped with cashless payment devices; thus, the application would be very convenient.
Visitors visiting Hue and using IT-based services
Making the tourism environment “healthy”
The goal of Hue City when using the travel passport is moving towards cashless in tourism activities, helping to make the tourism environment “healthy”, limiting the "ripping-off" cases by well managing the payment, creating the assurance for visitors when going to Hue. This is also identified as the optimal solution to avoid tax losses in tourism service activities in these days.
As Hue is heading towards a smart city, smart payment is an area in that smart "ecosystem". Cashless payment is also an inevitable trend that Hue is evaluated to be deploying effectively.
It is expected that the travel passport will be issued this July, and used commonly in Hue Festival 2020. The tourism industry also sets a goal and strives to issue some 10,000 travel passports in 2020.
At a recent meeting discussing Hue tourism restoration plan, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Mr. Phan Thien Dinh suggested that the tourism industry and related industries should develop promotion programs at the tourism destinations and shopping places using cashless payment method, including accommodation facilities. When visitors use this card at their accommodation, they will receive a corresponding discount similar to that of at the shopping places. It is necessary to choose reputable and quality service businesses to the supply chain.
In addition, it is also necessary to develop programs, policies on higher discounts and promotions when visitors use the card on the first days of the week than when using it at the weekends, so as to attract more visitors.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc added that the tourism industry had asked the travel passport service provider to increase the utilities. Visitors can register online before, and when they come to Hue, they only need to go to the accommodation to get the cards and use them. If they do not use up the money in their cards, they can transfer it to their bank accounts in the easiest way, without getting cash back.
Story and photos: Duc Quang