On 25 June, Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) and Vietnamese delegation participated in the 67th APEC Tourism Working Group (TWG67) Meeting held in Macao, China.
The meeting brought together representatives from the 21 APEC member economies, the APEC Secretariat, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the World Tourism Alliance (WTA), the APEC International Centre for Sustainable Tourism (AICST), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and leading technology, aviation and travel companies.
Enhancing the effectiveness of travel facilitation measures across APEC
During the meeting, participants reviewed ongoing and future projects and initiatives under the priorities of the APEC Tourism Strategic Plan (TSP) 2025 – 2029, covering digital transformation, human capital development, travel facilitation and competitiveness, and sustainable tourism and economic growth. The APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU) also presented updates on its study entitled “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Travel Facilitation Measures in the APEC Region.”
Commenting on the study, Vice Chairman Ha Van Sieu noted that the report highlights several challenges requiring attention from APEC member economies, including disparities in digital capabilities, risks related to personal data security in technology applications, and inconsistencies in immigration regulations that continue to create bottlenecks for tourism flows.
With strong support from digital technologies, Viet Nam has actively advanced its electronic visa (e-visa) policy as a means of strengthening security through pre-arrival screening and management while making visa procedures more convenient for travelers. Viet Nam currently grants e-visas to citizens of all APEC member economies. The country has also introduced the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) in digital format alongside the traditional physical card. In line with a number of other economies, Viet Nam is progressively deploying automated immigration gates and electronic pre-arrival declaration systems.
Viet Nam supports the study’s recommendations aimed at improving travel facilitation across the APEC region. These include digitizing visa issuance and immigration procedures, expanding eligibility for e-visas, harmonizing health and travel authorization standards, upgrading the ABTC to better serve premium travelers, and strengthening connectivity between government agencies, airlines, and travel operators to optimize infrastructure. Viet Nam stands ready to cooperate with all APEC economies to make travel and tourism throughout the region increasingly seamless, convenient, and efficient.
Leveraging digital platforms and services to enhance visitor experiences
In the afternoon, the meeting turned to a panel discussion on digital transformation of tourism.
Mr. Paul Pruangkarn, Director of Communications and External Affairs at PATA, delivered a presentation entitled “From Digital Divide to Digital Destiny: Equipping Tourism Workforces for APEC’s Smart Future.” Expedia shared insights on “The AI Trust Gap,” while MGM China Holdings Limited presented “The Living Artifact: Leveraging Modular Technology and AI to Build Borderless Economic Engines.”
During the open discussion, Vice Chairman Ha Van Sieu emphasized that, like many APEC economies, the Government of Viet Nam places great importance on innovation and digital transformation. Most recently, the Prime Minister issued the Programme for Digital Economy and Digital Society Development for the Period 2026 – 2030, which outlines a vision for building a dynamic digital economy powered by digital platforms, data, and artificial intelligence. Within this framework, tourism has been identified as a priority sector for accelerating digital adoption to improve governance, enhance service quality, and enrich visitor experiences.
Tourism stakeholders across Viet Nam are increasingly leveraging digital platforms and services to provide seamless, personalized, and high-quality experiences throughout the visitor journey. This transformation focuses on optimizing every traveler touchpoint through a broad range of digital solutions.
According to Mr. Ha Van Sieu, VNAT has collaborated with technology and financial partners to develop integrated multi-service platforms and smart tourism cards, helping create a secure and convenient cashless payment ecosystem for travelers.
Destinations and tourist attractions are also deploying innovative technologies to enhance accessibility and engagement. These include e-ticketing systems, multimedia audio guides, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences, 3D digitization of heritage sites, cultural landmarks and historical monuments, as well as cultural promotion through platforms such as Google Arts & Culture.
Viet Nam’s tourism industry is placing strong emphasis on data-driven personalization to meet the individual needs and preferences of visitors. Stakeholders are developing AI-powered virtual assistants and utilizing Artificial Intelligence and Big Data to analyze visitor behavior, enabling businesses to deliver tailored services and anticipate market trends in real time.
Digital services are also contributing to a safer and more responsible tourism environment. The Vietnam Travel application incorporates a feature that allows visitors to submit feedback, complaints, and service quality reviews directly to tourism authorities and destination management organizations.
Vice Chairman Ha Van Sieu stressed that digital data and artificial intelligence are no longer merely operational support tools. They are becoming key drivers of modern, evidence-based governance and catalysts for the development of smarter and more innovative tourism products and experiences.
Viet Nam looks forward to strengthening cooperation with fellow APEC economies in tourism digital transformation and welcomes proposals for projects related to artificial intelligence and digital innovation in the tourism sector.
Key tourism projects and initiatives under the APEC Tourism Strategic Plan
Under the Digital Transformation priority area, member economies reported on initiatives including: “Futuristic Frontiers: Artificial Intelligence-Led Evolution of Tourism Stakeholders in APEC Economies” (Malaysia); “Artificial Intelligence-Based Solutions for the Optimization of Operational Processes in the Hospitality Industry of APEC Economies” (Peru); “Workshop on Modern Tourism and Connectivity of APEC Economies” (Russia); and “Powering Singapore’s Tourism Technology Transformation” (Singapore).
In the area of Human Capital Development, Russia presented the project “Overview of APEC Approaches to Setting and Managing Space Museums and Space Exhibits as Part of Museum Complexes as an Element of Innovative and Sustainable Growth.”
Projects under Travel Facilitation and Competitiveness included “Enhancing Tourism Resilience” (Japan), “Visa Innovations and Border Modernisation to Support Connectivity and Tourism Growth” (New Zealand), and “Capacity Building of APEC Economies for the Development of Air Connectivity Strategies Oriented towards Regional Integration” (Peru).
In the field of Sustainable Tourism and Economic Growth, notable initiatives included “Sustainable Tourism and Destination Management – Capability Building Learning Program” (Australia), “Enhancing Economic Growth in Rural Areas through Sustainable Ecotourism, Technological Preparedness, and Women’s Empowerment” (Malaysia), “Developing Community-Based MICE Tourism Guidelines” (Thailand), “Maximizing the Travel and Tourism Sector’s Contribution to Economic Growth” (the United States), and the “State of APEC Tourism Report 2025” (South Korea).
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