According to the latest statistics released by the Da Nang Department of Tourism, in the 1^st quarter of this year the number of tourist arrivals to the city reached 1.3 million, up 29.4% against the same period last year.

Visitors enjoying a city tour by cyclo

Many international large-scale events will take place across the city this year.  Included will be the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival, the Asia Golf Tourism Convention, the Da Nang Cocofest, the VNG Ironman 70.3 Viet Nam, and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week.  Therefore, the city authorities are currently focusing on ensuring the safety of both locals and visitors and enhancing the local service quality during tourism peak season, especially during the international events.  These key tasks were highlighted at a meeting on Tuesday between representatives from the Department and about 600 local accommodation establishments.

At the meeting, the Department stressed the need for local accommodation providers to publicly declare their room rates in order to avoid confusing their customers, and to then offer their services at their displayed prices. 

Importance should be attached to ensuring the safety of their customers during their stay, and their protection from possible social evils, especially theft. 

Accommodation providers must declare registrations by all their domestic and international customers to police forces at the district and municipal levels respectively, thereby allowing closer supervision by relevant agencies.

Visitors at the Marble Mountains

Even more effective measures should be taken to improve the professional skills of employees working at accommodation establishments, especially helping them to enhance the skills necessary to deal with complaints from customers about the quality of tourism services.

Furthermore, like accommodation establishments, travel agencies and transport providers must remind their employees, especially tour guides, tourist coach drivers and receptionists, to demonstrate a friendly and polite attitude and behaviour towards their customers.

During the 1^st quarter of this year, the Department’s inspectors detected and imposed administrative fines for 38 violations of the local accommodation regulations.  In the next few months, more surprise checks will be conducted to detect violations such as hotels according themselves the ‘star’ ranking contrary to law.

According to Ms Duong Thi Tho, the Vice Chairwoman of the municipal Hotels’ Association, local tourism businesses always hope that local government agencies will provide more support for them in a bid to bolster the development of the local tourism sector.