Cambodia Angkor Air has announced that its first non-stop flight between Phnom Penh and Da Nang is set to take off on 27 October. This is highly expected to enhance bilateral tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges with Da Nang, and the Central Viet Nam as a whole, in the coming time.

The opening of the first direct flight connecting Phnom Penh with Da Nang on 27 October is expected to increase foreign tourist arrivals from Cambodia, a highly potential market in the Indochina region.

In detail, the new air service will operate a total of 5 flights per week, using ATR72 aircraft. Notably, from 2020 onwards, this route is expected to increase its frequency of flights, and use Airbus A320 aircraft.

According to Ms Huynh Thi Huong Lan, the Deputy Director of the municipal Tourism Promotion Centre, in the past, Cambodia was not listed amongst Da Nang’s key international tourist source market because of a small number of visitors and weak purchasing power.

However, recent years have seen a growing number of Cambodian tourists to the central Vietnamese city, and this fact makes the neighbouring Southeast Asian country a highly potential tourist source for the city.

At ceremony to announce the new Phnom Penh - Da Nang route held late August, Mr Prak Chandara, the Chief Inspector of the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, said, Cambodian tourists have preferred travelling in groups to alone. In particular, they like exploring low-cost destinations. The opening of the new non-stop air service, therefore, is expected to lower the tour price, hereby increasing Cambodian tourist arrivals in Da Nang and other central regional localities.

On the other hand, tourists from Da Nang, and Viet Nam at large, will find easier to access Cambodia through Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Reportedly, Cambodia Angkor Air currently operates 4 routes linking Cambodia and Viet Nam with a total of 112 flights per week, including the route of Siem Reap - Da Nang with a frequency of 1 flight per day.

In order to promote the soon-to-be-opened Phnom Penh - Da Nang air service, last month, the municipal Tourism Promotion Centre organised a roadshow in the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh so as to advertise the tourism products and services of Da Nang and the neighbouring of Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam, and to establish closer links between tourism businesses in Da Nang and Phnom Penh.

Besides, many famtrip and presstrip delegations from Cambodia visited Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An in order to make survey of their tourism products and services.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Nguyen Xuan Binh acknowledged that, thanks to the soon-to-be-launched Phnom Penh - Da Nang air route and the existing Da Nang - Siem Reap route, Da Nang is seeing growing number of international tourist arrivals from Cambodia who will then continue their journeys to other Asian and European countries through various connecting flights.

It is highly anticipated that Da Nang would emerge as an important link in promoting tourism along the East-West Economic Corridor, connecting the Indochina Peninsula with other parts of the world.

It is known that Da Nang is now heading towards to diversifying its international tourist source markets for the 2019 – 2020 period.

In mid-October, the municipal Tourism Promotion Centre and some city-based tourism businesses will attend the Cambodia Travel Mart 2019 to seek cooperation opportunities with this highly potential market.

The Cambodia Angkor Air currently operates a total of 4 routes connecting the 2 countries with each other with a total of 112 flights per week, including the Siem Reap - Da Nang service with a frequency of 1 flight per day.