Over 100 international buyers along with 28 foreign media and tourism bloggers have registered to participate at the 2016 Beach-Leisure & MICE Travel Mart (BMTM) which is to take place at Da Nang’s Tien Son Sports Arena from 24 - 26 June.

The Da Nang Tourism Department Director Ngo Quang Vinh, said at a recent press conference that the BMTM will be hosted for the first time in Da Nang and the coastal central region as a whole.

“It’s a great rendezvous for domestic and foreign buyers and sellers in a tourism exchange of products and services. Travel agencies from major markets, including the Republic of Korea (RoK), the Chinese mainland, Japan, the US, Russia, Thailand and Hong Kong, will take part in the event to link their destinations with Da Nang and world heritage sites in the central region,” Vinh said.

“We hope tourism bloggers and media would make Da Nang a favourite destination on the world tourism map after the event.”

As scheduled, the BMTM has drawn 172 pavilions from 31 travel agencies and resorts, along with those from Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and RoK.

It is expected that over 7,000 business visitors and 10,000 tourists would come to one of the largest beach leisure and MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conference and Exhibition) events in Viet nam, after Ha Noi and HCM City.

According to the department, 22 travel agencies and 80 hotels have offered promotional programmes at the BMTM, with 10 and 20 percent discounts on their service prices, and 25 to 65 percent discounts on their hotel room rates.

Additionally, Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, offers 20 percent discount ticket prices for the first 200 visitors to the BMTM.

Further, Vietnamese budget airline VietjetAir is offering 3,000 tickets priced at zero VND for all flights during the three-day event, while another budget airline, Jetstar Pacific, also offers 99,000 VND (4.4 USD) tickets.

Illustrative photo (Source:VNA)

A seminar on tourism markets in Japan and RoK and a photo exhibition, a conference on luxury beach leisure services, as well as major activities will be held at Tien Son Sports Arena.

The organising committee will also host FAM trips and press tours to promote destinations in the central region.

Da Nang lies within easy reach of the country’s best heritage icons, including Phong Nha-Ke Bang in Quang Binh, the UNESCO-recognised world heritage Hue monuments complex, the ancient city of Hoi An, My Son Sanctuary and a world biosphere reserve, the Cham Island in Quang Nam Province.

Jetstar Pacific plans to operate a direct air route connecting Da Nang and Japan's Osaka – the second direct route from Da Nang to Japan after Vietnam Airlines’ Narita-Da Nang, which is expected to start from August 1.

Last month, Bangkok Airways launched a direct route between Da Nang and Bangkok with four flights per week, while Vietnam Airlines also plans to begin operating its direct Da Nang-Bangkok flights on June 25.

The city, which has 24 international air routes, hosted 4.6 million tourists last year, of which 1.25 million were foreigners.

(Source: Da Nang Today/ VNA)