Despite positive changes in Da Nang’s tourism sector, the ‘non-smoking’ industry is now facing many challenges to the boom in the hotel segment and tourist arrivals.

Da Nang is in need of more special products to attract European visitors. European cruise ship passengers arriving in the city

To address these issues, representatives from tourism businesses and travel agencies have put forward effective solutions and ways to achieve sustainable tourism.

Mr Nguyen Van Hung, the Director of the city-based DN Vacation Co Ltd, underlined an urgent need to ensure effective management work to combat tax losses to the city budget.

An issue of deep concern raised here that the city is now seeing an upward trend in the number of so-called zero-dong tours that bring problems rather than benefits for the city.

Such tours have resulted in the unfair competitive environment between travel businesses, the low quality of tourism services, and tax losses to the city budget.

The zero-dong tour boom is a form of competition amongst travel firms, mostly applied to the Chinese and South Korean tourists.

The whole business activity revolving around the ‘zero-dong’ tours leaves little room for local travel firms, while the city’s tourism sector suffers tax collection losses.

Hung emphasised a must-do to check the actual statistics how much in taxes relevant local agencies regularly collect on the basis of visitor numbers.

In order for Vietnamese tourism businesses to gain a foothold in the domestic market, it is necessary for the municipal government to maintain its stand in resolving the problem of the so-called zero-dong tours.

In his point of view, Mr Le Thien Tu, the Director of V.E.I Travel Co Ltd, remarked it is high time to develop even more tourism products.

In his explanations, in comparisons with such neighbouring destinations as Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam, the young city of Da Nang shows off more advantages as it is generously bestowed with an harmonious convergence of mountains, plains, rivers and sea.

In fact, the city has welcomed a large number of Asian tourists, but faced some difficulties in luring those from European countries.

It should be kept in mind that there is currently a growing tendency of European tourists enjoying to explore something ancient, rustic and gentle. Given that fact, it is a good idea to enrich tourism products.

It is feasible to develop community-based eco-tourism in the Ta Lang and Gian Bi villages in Hoa Vang District’s Hoa Bac Commune, with interesting events as sightseeing, trekking, harvesting vegetables and mild- stream bathing.

Mr Nguyen Van Tai, the Deputy Director of the city branch of the Ben Thanh Tourist Company said “It is highly effective that more businesses will be facilitated to join tourism promotion events in foreign countries to introduce their products to the international markets, thereby attracting even more visitors to the city”.

Alongside, local businesses should take the initiative to actively apply outstanding technologies in the burgeoning fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) in their operations so as to introduce their latest products, meet tourists’ diversified tastes and make positive changes in their performance.