Addressing Friday’s meeting on seeking ways to tempt visitors from the Republic of Korea (RoK) back to Da Nang, municipal People's Committee Vice Chairman Tran Phuoc Son said that the RoK is Da Nang’s leading key tourist market with the number of visitors in 2019 reaching more than 1.7 million. This is the basis for expecting the recovery of tourism exchange activities between the two countries, when both of them have put the COVID-19 pandemic under control.

Da Nang People's Committee Vice Chairman Tran Phuoc Son addresses a meeting on seeking ways to tempt visitors from the Republic of Korea (RoK) back to Da Nang, March 18, 2022. Photo: THU HA

The event was attended by representatives of the Consulate General of RoK in Da Nang, leaders of relevant municipal departments and agencies, and more than 300 travel businesses in RoK and Da Nang, along with hotels and airlines exploiting the RoK passenger market.

Till date more than 70% of accommodation establishments, resorts, tourist attractions, transport service suppliers have come back into operation.

Over the past time, the city has paid attention to upgrading and forming new products such as promoting inland waterway tourism routes, especially opening the Da Nang - Ly Son route and piloting a wide range of nightlife entertainment activities on My An Beach, expanding the An Thuong tourist streets complex, and the development of Bach Dang - Nguyen Van Troi Bridge - Tran Hung Dao pedestrian route.

The city is making preparations to host the Routes Asia 2022 in June that is expected to offer great opportunities for Da Nang to resume international flights, which in turn spurring international trade and resuming international tourism.

Vice Chairman Son reaffirmed the city’s stance on promptly removing difficulties and obstacles to restore tourism activities in the coming time.

He hoped that the Consulate General of the RoK in Da Nang to promote the city’s policy on the fully reopening international market to RoK people and businesses.

It is a need for partner companies in the RoK and travel agencies in Viet Nam, airlines and related units to make joint efforts to strengthen connectivity in a bid to quickly restore this foreign tourist market.

It is known that from April 1 to October 29, six airlines are expected to operate the Da Nang - RoK route with a frequency of 49 flights/week.

In addition, from March 27 to October 29, it is expected that seven airlines will operate international flights with a frequency of 41 flights/week.

In the morning of the same day, the municipal Department of Tourism held a meeting on the implementation of the plan issued by the municipal administration on the resumption of tourism activities in the new normal with the message ‘Da Nang is ready to welcome tourists’.

Director of the Department of Tourism Truong Thi Hong Hanh said that the plan focuses on five main tasks, namely preparing human resources, ensuring service quality, preparing new products, and ensuring security and safety, and communication and market promotion plans. 

The city will focus on removing difficulties and obstacles for key tourism projects, applying a number of pilot mechanisms to develop new products and services, prioritising public investment resources  in developing infrastructure for tourism in the short and long term.

As for tourism businesses, it is necessary to strengthen the application of technology, digital transformation, and apply contact-limited service models such as automatic service counters, online payments and chatbots, as well as updating tourism trends, tourist tastes and actual situation to create new suitable products and services.

Reporting by THU HA – Translating by A.THU