The 2016 Da Nang Spring Tourism Forum was held in the city this afternoon (25 March).  The event was chaired by representatives from the municipal People's Committee, and many local agencies, tourism associations, businesses and clubs from across the city were represented.

The forum, the first of its kind to be held in the city, gathered opinions and concerns from the local tourism business community.  The aim is to find the best ways to promote the development of the local tourism industry, the city’s spearhead economic sector.

Discussions at the event included how to promote the development of tourism through enhancing the operation of travel agencies, how to develop a sustainable tourism environment, ways to develop new services to attract more visitors, and how to improve the quality of accommodation.

Foreign visitors at the Marble Mountains Tourist Area

A number of concerns about the current situation of the city’s tourism sector were raised by the tourism business community.

In particular, travel agencies suggested that there is a need to find ways to ensure a fair and competitive environment amongst local businesses.  They also suggested that more effective measures should be adopted to attracting domestic and foreign visitors to the city to ensure the sustainable development of tourism businesses.

Proposals from representatives from some hotels and restaurants focused on proactive ways for local authorities and other relevant agencies to help tourism businesses operate effectively in the city.

The Deputy General Director of the Da Nang-based Viet Nam Tourism Joint Stock Co (Vitours), Mr Le Tan Thanh Tung, asked the local authorities to issue some macro solutions to increase the efficiency of accommodation services in the city, which in turn will help to further the development of the local tourism sector.

Mr Tung said “Over recent years, accommodation providers have played a vital role in promoting the development of the local tourism sector and creating a renowned tourism brand name for the city.  Thanks to this, the accommodation providers have taken the lead in both quality and quantity amongst other localities nationwide.  However, accommodation providers are now facing inefficiency in their operations, including an average annual room occupancy rate of only 51%”.