In active response to the Resolution No 08-NQ/TW issued by the Politburo on 16 January 2017 regarding developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector, Da Nang’s tourism has gained many positive results in this aspect in leaps and bounds. In particular, the city is seeing a growing number of visitor arrivals, and a significant rise in the tourism sector’s contributions to the local Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP).

Visitors taking cyclo tours on Bach Dang Street

According to the latest figures released by the city’s Tourism Department, between January and September, visitor arrivals to the city rose by 27.7% against the same period last year to hit over 6.5 million. In detail, about 2.4 million of them were foreigners, whilst the remainder were domestic visitors, up 40% and 21.5% against last year respectively.

Over the period, the revenue from tourism climbed by 50.4% to reach 22,571 trillion VND, surpassing 0.3% of the year’s target.

The soon-to-be-implemented An Thuong Tourism Quarter project in Ngu Hanh Son District’s My An Ward has received active support from the local community.

Although, this inviting venue has yet to put into operation, there has been a positive change in public awareness of doing business in the burgeoning tourism industry in the An Thuong area.

Bounded by 4 main streets, namely Hoang Ke Viem to North, Ngo Thi Sy to the South, Chau Thi Vinh Te to the west, and Vo Nguyen Giap to the east, once operational, the quarter will become the city’s ‘Pho Tay’ (Street of Foreigners) which offers various drinking and eating services, and attractive night-time entertainment activities for foreigners.

Ho Sy Dung, a trader touting for business on Ngo Thi Si Street which the An Thuong tourism area encompasses, said, “I wholeheartedly support this municipal tourism development policy. I hope that the project will be completed as soon as possible, especially in terms of infrastructure and security. My family is also pouring money in making its own business facility look even more eye-catching and cleaner than before”.

According to My An Ward People's Committee Vice Chairman Ngo Thi Nga, the An Thuong project has received consent from more than 200 families living here.

Over the past 5 years, traders at the downtown Han Market has made commitments to trading in food of clear origin, wearing uniforms on pubic holidays, and ensuring their friendly, polite attitude and behaviour towards their customers.

According to municipal Department of Tourism Director Ngo Quang Vinh, the city is spearheading the development of tourism.

Under its specific strategic plans, by 2020, the city will have welcomed between 8.9 and 9, 3 million tourists, of whom between 3 and 3.5 million were foreigners, and its tourism revenue will have reached 36.4 trillion VND.

The tourism industry now accounts for about 25% of the city’s overall GRDP.

By 2030, the tourism will be the city’s spearhead economic aspect with a modern and synchronous infrastructure, a healthy, safe and fair tourism environment, along with high quality tourism products. At that time, this ‘non-smoking’ industry is expected to spur the progress of other sectors, and sharpen its competitive edge in the ASEAN region, and the world as a whole.

Importance is being attached to raising the quality and professionalism of the tourism sector, creating more special and highly competitive products, and fostering the progress of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions), ecotourism, and cultural tourism.

Alongside, one emphasis is being on promoting regional links with Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces, and with other localities nationwide for mutual tourism development.

Last, but not least, in addition to focusing on maintaining domestic tourist markets, heed is paid to expanding into North East Asian markets, maintaining and developing traditional markets in the ASEAN region, Western Europe and North America, and attracting even more visitors from Australia, India, and Russia.