The current coronavirus situation is having a significant effect on the travel industry in Da Nang.

Foreign visitors at the Marble Mountain Tourist Area in Ngu Hanh Son District

China and South Korea are the main sources of visitors to Da Nang. However, many Vietnamese and foreign airlines have cancelled their flights to and from China, and South Korea because of the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in the two countries.

Besides, the number of flights connecting Da Nang with Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Japan has been significantly reduced due to public fears over Covid-19.

As a result, Da Nang has seen a dramatic drop in visitor arrivals from China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong over recent weeks. Also, there has been a dramatic decline in the number of domestic visitor arrivals in the city.

It is expected that the number of visitor arrivals to the city will continue to decline in March and April due to the impact of the coronavirus.

Therefore, the Da Nang authorities are working in close collaboration with travel agencies to create action plans to help the tourism industry bounce back when the virus is contained.

In particular, top priority will be given to targeting domestic visitors, and offering visa exemptions to travellers from India, Australia and European countries.

The focus will be on targeting new international tourist markets, including India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Heed will be paid to developing suitable tourism products for each visitor market, specifically international-standard restaurants for Muslim visitors from Malaysia, India, and Middle Eastern countries.

Also, special attention will be paid to fully tapping the city’s available potentials for developing agricultural tourism and ecotourism tours in Cam Le and Hoa Vang district such as growing vegetables, riding bikes, rowing coracles, and cooking.

Special tours will be developed to help visitors to explore local culture, visit time-honoured traditional craft villages, and have pleasant homestay experiences with the locals.

In addition, new non-stop international air routes from the Da Nang International Airport to destinations around the world will be opened with the purpose of bringing even more visitor arrivals to the city, and to the Central Viet Nam as a whole.

The Da Nang International Airport will be upgraded, whilst a new international passenger terminal at the airport will be constructed in the coming time in a bid to reduce the current passenger overload at the airport.

Last but not least, the importance will be attached to increasing the checking and monitoring of tourism activities in the city, and ensuring enough human resources for the tourism sector, especially tour guides for foreign visitors.

By LE VAN HUY, NGUYEN SON THUY - Translated by MAI DUNG