In the current context, given its popular tourism brand name in regional and international markets over recent years, it is high time for Da Nang’s tourism to develop in a more sustainable and in-depth manner, with more attention paid to quality over quantity, and making more new breakthroughs.

Visitors at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculptures

During their recent interviews with a DA NANG Newspaper reporter, representatives from local tourism businesses and State management agencies presented their constructive opinions and recommendations in a bid to bring a positive face to this lucrative aspect in the coming time.

Mr Ngo Quang Vinh, the Director of the municipal Tourism Department, remarked that the local tourism industry has always attached importance to ensuring quality, combating tax losses, renewing market promotion methods, increasing the competitiveness of tourism businesses and boost investment in creating new products.

Over recent years, the Department has deployed many effective solutions to boost the local tourism’s progress such as proposing the municipal People's Committee to urge the national government to promulgate incentive policies for the Thua Thien Hue - Da Nang - Quang Nam key tourism cluster in Central Viet Nam, and opening some representative offices of the Da Nang tourism in such new markets as Europe, Australia and Japan.

In particular it was suggested that local tourism businesses should take the initiative to boost market promotion, create new attractive products, enhance the service quality, and also importantly, join their efforts with State management units to fight against illegal tourism activities as well as tax losses to the city budget.

Mr Huynh Tan Vinh, the Chairman of the municipal Tourism Association, pointed out to the fact that, in spite of growing number of domestic and foreign visitors to the city over recent years, their average stay periods and spending in the city are now still modest.

Another issue of concern is that there has been an imbalance in the proportions of international tourists arriving in Da Nang as the number of visitors from South Korea and China now accounts for more than 50% of the total figure.

In his point of view, it is high time for the local tourism sector, especially travel agencies   to pay more heed to developing such new tourist market as Europe, Northeast Asia, Japan, Australia and the USA. In particular, specific mechanisms regarding gambling at casinos must be released as a good way to boost the local tourism’s growth.

Alongside, Chairman Vinh underlined a must-do to ensure the sustainable tourism development in association with environmental protection. It is necessary to keep local beaches clean, safeguard the natural water flow of the Han River and preserve the distinctive ecosystem of the Son Tra Peninsula.

Visitors admiring valuable Cham exhibits on display at the museum

Mr Le Tan Thanh Tung, the Deputy General Director of the city-based Vitours, urged a need to promoting the IT applications in tourism promotion and advertisement activities in the current context of the burgeoning fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) with more advanced equipment and more effective deployment methods. 

In addition attracting more famtrip delegations surveying local tourist attractions and products, as well as observing all local services, it is a good idea to open an international tourism fair in a bid to bring more benefits to the city's business community.

In his opinion, Mr Doan Hai Dang, the Director of the city’s branch of Vietravel cum Vice Chairman of the city’s Travel Association, emphasised a significance of creating new pedestrian-only quarters in the city in the coming time.

In reality, large-scale pedestrian-only and nighttime entertainment areas have been thriving rapidly in many Asian countries including Thailand, China and South Korea.

Da Nang is expected to find it very hard to enhance its competitiveness against other localities nationwide without any nighttime shopping, entertainment and walking areas.

This entrepreneur proposed that pedestrian-only quarters should be established in the heart of the city center, such as from the Trung Vuong Theatre to the Han Market, and from Helio leisure complex multiservice centre to its surrounding streets. Planning activities and appeals for investment should be implemented in a prompt fashion.