Da Nang and its neighbouring countries have paid special attention to creating their tourism linkages, and they have yielded certain positive results. However, closer links between them shoulde be forged in a comprehensive and in-depth manner in a bid to increase motivation to drive the regional development.

Tourists visiting the Marble Mountains. Photo: THU HA

Linkages in tourism promotion and marketing

The ‘Three Localities - One Destination’ tourism stimulus programme jointly launched by Da Nang and its neighbours namely Thua Thien -Hue and Quang Nam from  November 2020 to January 2021 has proved effective in promoting and marketing their destinations and their local tourism products. Since the beginning of 2022, the tourism linkages initiative has been expanded to include Quang Binh and Quang Tri and the five localities will alternately play the role of the leadership of the tourism linkage group. In 2022, Quang Binh takes the leadership role in the tourism linkage group.

According to the Quang Binh Provincial Tourism Promotion Centre, the five localities have worked together to promote their destinations in an attempt to lure back tourists and drive rapid recovery of their local tourism sector, and their initiative has produced positive outcomes after six months following the estabishment of their tourism linkages. Included were the joint presence of the five localities at the annual Viet Nam International Travel Mart (VITM) held in Ha Noi between March 31 and April 3, conference introducing the destinations of the five localities in Ha Noi on March 30, conference on tourism cooperation between five central localities and Hai Phong and Quang Ninh on April 3, and Danang FantastiCity 2022, an online travel fair, held from March 17 – 25. In particular, the five localities jointly have made a video clip themed ' the Magical Heritage of the Region 2022' in a bid to introduce an overview of highlights of their local tourism products.

Tourism linkages between the five localitities have benefited their local tourism businesses as they have been offered the opportunity to introduce their local special products to tourists at both home and abroad.

Mrs Nguyen Thi Hoai An, the Director of the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre emphasised the importance of promoting tourism linkages in the central region in diversifying tourism products and increasing the attractiveness of each locality, and the region as a whole, in the context of waiting for recovery of international tourism and domestic tourism mainly driving recovery of the sector. She also stressed the need for the five localities to develop their own diverse and attractive tourist packages at reasonable prizes, and encourage their local tourism businesses to boost their cooperation with their partners within the linkage group in order to achieve the common goal of driving the rapid recovery of their local tourism sector.

Further cooperation in tourism needed

Mr Nguyen Son Thuy, the Chairman of the Quang Nam Provincial Travel Association expressed his delight at fruitful results from tourism linkages between the five localities, contributing to driving the overall development of the central region.

He stated that each locality in the linkage group has its own strength and he highlighted the importance of turning each locality's strength into its specific tourism products and turning them into the region’s strength during the cooperation in promoting these products to the international tourism markets in order to lure international visitors back and encourage them to extend their trips and their stay in the central region.

Da Nang Tourism Association Secretary General Ho Thanh Tu said that tourism stimulus programmes such as ‘Heritage Road’, and ‘Magical Heritage of the Region’ jointly launched by the central localities during the COVID-19 pandemic have produced certain positive outcomes.

Mr Tu said that the Association will continue to forge closer links with other central localities to conduct tourism marketing campaigns in such foreign countries as India, South Korea, Thailand in the coming time. The heed will be paid to establishing business groups to jointly exploit a number of tourist markets to increase strength and create diverse tourism products for the tourist destinations in the central region.

Mr Nguyen Xuan Binh, the Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Tourism highlighted the importance of linkages between central localities to expansion of tourism space and diversification of typical products of the central region.  Nowadays, tourists tend to visit the places in the region and experience these places in their own way as public transport system is now fast, convenient and comfortable, he remarked.

Da Nang now plays a key role in establishing tourism linkages in the central region, and the links between central localities will provide more options and greater flexibility for travelers during their trips.

Reporting by THU HA – Translating by H.L