Da Nang has been making its efforts to resume international air routes and open new ones in a bid to lure more foreigners. However, at present, the exploitation of international visitors to Da Nang has not been as expected. Therefore, it is necessary for the city to quickly devise ways to iron out snags in attracting international tourists.

Taiwanese tourists (China) at the Da Nang International Airport. Photo: THU HA

Tourism firms need to actively seek and expand markets

According to the municipal Department of Tourism, Da Nang has a total of 15 international air routes operated by 22 airlines, bringing a large number of tourists to the city.

Data from the city’s Statistics Office shows that the number of guests served by local accommodation establishments in January 2023 was estimated at 350,500, up 1.5% against last December and 6.5 times higher than the same period in 2022.

Of them, 88,500 were foreigners, up 6.1% from the previous month, and 49.1 times higher than the same period in 2022. Meanwhile, domestic visitors were 262,000, equivalent to the previous month and 5.1 times compared to the same period in 2022.

Since the resumption of international flights, top 5 international tourist markets to Da Nang are South Korea, Thailand, the US, India, and Taiwan (China).

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Director of the Omega Travel Trading Service Co., Ltd (Omega Tour), said that the international tourism segment in Da Nang is gradually recovering and the city is still the leading locality in terms of South Korean tourists.

He analysed in order to attract more international visitors, destinations must be attractive, have direct flight routes and good ecosystem, including restaurants, and catering, shopping and entertainment services. He underlined a must-do for tourism firms to be more flexible in seeking and expanding their own tourist markets.

He added, before COVID-19 pandemic, Omega Tour specialised in exploiting the South Korean tourist market, but since Viet Nam fully opened the sky to welcome international visitors back in March 2022, the company has expanded and diversified into more tourist markets with MICE customers, and the Southeast Asian tourist market, including Indonesia and Mongolia.

Sharing the same view, General Director of the Hai Van Cat International Travel Service Company Nguyen Minh Xoang acknowledged that, in the context of the global economic downturn, people around the world tend to tighten their spending. Meanwhile, Viet Nam's Visa policy is more restrictive than other countries in the region. The city’s largest tourist markets like China have not yet shown any signal, other traditional tourist markets to Da Nang are on the way to recovery, but it is still slow. Therefore, it is necessary for the city to quickly assess the potential and recovery of key markets with open-door policies such as South Korea, Japan, ASEAN and European countries, India and China according to appropriate roadmaps.

Importance should be attached to promoting the opening of more direct flights to Da Nang, increasing the frequency of flights from localities with good customer signals, and reviewing the markets of cruise passengers and road travelers to have a plan to attract tourists, he remarked.

Da Nang's tourism industry needs to soon add products to attract more international visitors to the city. IN THE PHOTO: A group of French tourists took souvenir photos at Da Nang beach. Photo: THU HA

Add more products, innovate promotion programmes

One of the markets that the city's tourism industry is very interested in is MICE tourism. Most recently, the Da Nang government has issued a support programme for MICE visitors which lasts from September 2022 to the end of December 2023.

Especially in 2023, the city will focus on issuing many support policies for international delegations such as publicising welcome information on LED screens at the baggage claim area at Da Nang International Airport.

In the coming time, Da Nang is expected to welcome many MICE delegations, including a delegation of 500 guests from the Allybuild Viet Nam Company arranged by Vietravel in February 2023, and the other of 350 Malaysian guests in March 2023.

Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association Cao Tri Dung stressed the need for the local tourism industry to develop groups of tourism products involving ecology, cultural discovery, cuisine, and festival events with appropriate stimulus policies for each customer market such as South Korea and Japan.

The focus should be on products to discover local cultural cuisine, resort tourism and golf tourism, especially resort, spirituality and wedding tourism for Indian tourists, and MICE tourism for large enterprises and corporations, he added.

Mr. Dung noted it is necessary to further promote tourism promotion solutions by setting specific goals in each communications campaign in each market; continue to organise roadshows in potential countries; participate in international travel fairs; and cooperate with airlines, shipping lines, Vietnamese embassies in other countries, online sales channels, and international travel agencies to introduce highlights of historical sites, culture, cuisine, resorts, high-class utility services and convenient and safe policies for visitors.

Additionally, the city should work with relevant authorities to propose Visa policies and other support ones to facilitate entry and exit of tourists, he emphasised.

According to a representative of the municipal Department of Tourism, in 2023, the city's tourism industry sets a goal to restore and develop the international tourist market; create more new and qualify tourism products and services; and strive to increase the number of guests served by local accommodation facilities by 15%-20% compared to 2022.

Accordingly, special attention will be paid to investing and developing new tourism products; innovating and improving the efficiency of tourism promotion programmes; restoring and strengthening key and traditional international markets; and step by step promoting the growth of tourist sources in Northeast Asia, such as China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong (China), in Southeast Asia like Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, and India.

Reporting by THU HA - Translating by M.DUNG