Dramatic increase in the number of tourists from China
According to the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number of Chinese tourists coming to the city has this year exceeded those from Russia, South Korea, and Thailand.
In 2012, the city welcomed 92,400 Chinese visitors in total. However, by the end of September 2013, the number of Chinese visitors had already reached 102,400 and is expected to continue increasing significantly over the remaining months of the year. The total number of international tourists is expected to be around 700,000 for 2013, 20% of whom will be from China.
This growth is attributed to the operation of one scheduled and 8 charter flight services between Da Nang and some of the major cities and provinces of China, plus the many cruise ships arriving from China.
During the 2013 - 2014 cruise ship season, the city is expected to receive around 70,000 international cruise passengers from 42 ships, 50% of whom will be coming from China.
Chinese tourists shopping at Han Market |
The Chinese tourists’ average stay period in the city is 5 days, and their average total spend is around 500 USD. They often stay at local 3 to 5-star hotels such as the Crowne Plaza Danang, Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa, Pullman Danang Beach Resort, and Novotel Danang Premier Han River.
At present, around 41% of the Chinese tourists arriving in Da Nang seek travel information about the city via travel agents. As a result, some of the local travel companies have launched a variety of package tours for their Chinese customers, especially day tours for cruise ship passengers.
Da Nang is striving to become an international tourism hub in the country by 2020. China is considered to be the major overseas tourist market, and promoting Da Nang’s tourism there will make a significant contribution to its development.