The Viet Nam International Travel Mart 2022 (VITM 2022) themed ‘Sea and island tourism - The strength of Viet Nam's tourism’ which took place in Da Nang from December 9 – 11, 2022 has brought a new breeze to the city’s tourism industry, and Da Nang as a whole, during off-peak season. Therefore, tourism businesses in the city have taken advantage of opportunities to connect with their potential customers, contributing to driving tourism rebound in the coming time.

VITM Da Nang 2022 provided the opportunity for the city’s participating businesses to meet and build connections with their partners in a bid to increase international visitor arrivals in Da Nang. In the photo: Da Nang Mikazuki’s show booth at VITM 2022 drew a great deal of attention from visitors. Photo: NHAT HA

During the 3- day event, thousands of B2B or business-to-business meetings were organised. Mr. Nguyen Nhu Nam, the Director General of Viet Nam TravelMart Joint Stock Company highlighted huge opportunities from VITM Da Nang 2022 for the city’s tourism businesses to meet and build connections with their partners in order to bring immediate results to them.

The event offered great opportunities for Viet Nam TravelMart Joint Stock Company to successfully connect with foreign partners in a bid to attract more overseas tourists to the city, especially travellers from the Philippines and India. However, 'B2C' or 'business to consumer' marketing model at VITM 2022 is not popular in Da Nang, and Central Viet Nam at large, as local people do not have the habit of hunting affordable trips or tours at such an event although participating tour operators and accommodation establishments offered great deals on their products and services during the event.

Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thien, the Deputy Director of the Hai Van Cat International Travel Joint Stock Company, remarked that the VITM 2022 gave a chance to domestic and international businesses to promote their brands, introduce their products and build business relationships with their partners, thereby inspiring motivation in the tourism sector to drive its rapid recovery after two years of being heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We had the opportunity to meet and build connections with our partners during the VITM Da Nang 2022. The event will create a premise for tourism businesses to boost their cooperation with their foreign partners to bring more foreign tourists  from such countries as India, Thailand, and Malaysia to Da Nang, and Vietnam at large," said Mr. Thien.

Mr. Thien highlighted the need for VITM’s organizers to widely publicize this event and hold more diversity activities for participants in order to increase the event’s effectiveness so that this event is not only designed for the tourism industry but also draw great deal of attention from local people and related units as they can be potential customers in the future.

Mr. Phung Dinh Mai, the Marketing Manager of the ODK Mikazuki VietNam Company Limited said that Da Nang Mikazuki was one of 20 campaign medal winners for having the most effective stimulus booth at VITM Da Nang 2022. He acknowledged that VITM 2022 brought together domestic and foreign tourism businesses to exchange their experience while the event attracted many strategic partners. Da Nang Mikazuki had the opportunity to meet with more than 2,000 domestic and foreign partners, especially those from India which is one of Da Nang's potential source markets .

After VITM 2022, Da Nang Mikazuki achieved expected results and established linkages with many potential regional and international partners, promising that Da Nang - Mikazuki Japanese Resorts & Spa will become a new attraction for international tourists while visiting the city.

Mr. Mai underlined the necessity of increasing publicity of next VITM through the use of online and in- person networking, influencer marketing, KOL or Key Opinion Leader and KOC or Key Opinion Consumer, in drawing greater attention from the public.

According to Mrs Cao Thi Ngoc Lan, Vice Chairwoman of the Viet Nam Tourism Association, VITM 2022 aimed to promote the recovery of the country’s international tourism. The 3-day event attracted 165 international buyers from 12 countries and territories worldwide, 200 domestic visitors from tourism centers across the country, and more than 400 tourism organizations and businesses from 34 provinces and cities nationwide with more than 300 booths.

The event saw the participation of 165 international buyers from 12 countries and territories plus 200 domestic buyers from tourism centers nationwide and over 400 organizations and businesses.

VITM Da Nang 2022 featured a total of 3,680 meetings and exchanges between buyers and sellers, becoming the largest ever B2B or business-to-business event of the country’s tourism industry. It contributes to warming up the tourism market in the low season, creating favorable conditions for domestic and international businesses to meet and build connections between them in a bid to bring more visitors to Da Nang, and Viet Nam at large, in the near future.

Reporting by NHAT HA – Translating by H.L