The Chinese government has decided to add Viet Nam to the list of countries to which its nationals can go on outbound tours with effect from March 15. The information is much favoured by tourism service providers in Da Nang because China has long been one of Da Nang's traditional tourist source markets for a long time. 

Given the fact that China is Da Nang’s traditional international tourist market, local tourism service providers are ready to make good preparations in terms of services and human resources to welcome Chinese tourists back. Tourists are pictured arriving in the city by air. Photo: THU HA

Businesses across the city are ready to prepare human resources, accommodation facilities and services to serve this time-honoured tourist source market.

As reported by the Da Nang Department of Tourism, in 2019, the number of Chinese tourists staying in Da Nang reached about 650,000, accounting for 18.5% of the total international visitors to Da Nang, ranked 2^nd in the list of Da Nang’s international visitor source markets, only after South Korea.

The Chinese travellers arriving in Da Nang were cruise passengers from Royal Caribbean, Costa Alantica, Princess Cruises, MSC and Dream Cruises-operated ships, through charter flights, along with tourist groups and independent travellers via lots of commercial flights.

Tourists travelling in groups account for the majority of the market share, from 80 - 90% of the Chinese tourists coming to Da Nang. By the end of 2019, there had been about 24 routes connecting China with Da Nang with a weekly frequency of 137 flights, an increase of 12 routes and 61 flights over the same period in 2018.

However, COVID-19 has negatively affected the Da Nang tourism industry. From March 15, 2022, the Vietnamese government opened up tourism activities, thereby pushing back international tourism activities, through which 10,314 Chinese tourists arrived in Da Nang, mainly business guests, experts, technical workers and public servants.

As assessed by tourism experts, China’s reopening is a positive signal for the tourism market in Viet Nam and Da Nang in particular. Welcoming the Chinese market significantly contributes to diversifying and adding a large source of tourists to Da Nang's tourism during the recovery period, in addition to key  markets such as South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia and India.

In particular, China cancelled inbound quarantine for international arrivals, and orderly resumed Chinese citizens' outbound travel as part of an overall plan to downgrade the country's COVID-19 management from January 8. This is considered the most important move of this country in the transition from the strict policy of ‘Zero COVID’.

Upon changes in China’s COVID-19 control policy, many travel agencies and service providers quickly implemented plans to welcome Chinese tourists into Viet Nam, focusing on ensuring pandemic prevention and sufficient tour guides, servicemen ready for dealing with any arising situations.

As one of the travel agencies specialising in bringing Chinese tourists to Da Nang, the city-based Hai Van Cat International Travel Service company, along with travel service businesses in Da Nang, has already made good preparations for welcoming tourists, so there are not too many difficulties facing it.

“A necessary thing at this time, in addition to welcoming guests, is to step up the promotion of the destination to this market more strongly," said Mr. Nguyen Minh Xoang, the Director of Hai Van Cat company.

In the same point of views, Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association Cao Tri Dung said, “The source of visitors will not come in massively, so there will not be a shortage or overload of services. Gradually, the services will be fully restored when the number of visitors is crowded”.

According to a representative of the Da Nang Department of Tourism, given the fact China is one of the potential markets, the Da Nang tourism industry will focus on maintaining the its tourism brand, open door policy, attractive new products and events to the Chinese market, as well as promoting the reopening of flight routes linking major Chinese metropolises such as Guangzhou and Shanghai to Da Nang in the rest of 2023, and promoting M.I.C.E, golf, luxury beach resort tourism services that target Chinese high spenders.

Along with that, activities such as welcoming the Chinese famtrip groups to survey local services, establishing relations of Da Nang tourism representatives in the Chinese market, and promoting communication through Chinese e-newsletter and Wechat channel in China will be implemented.

China has traditionally been Viet Nam's largest tourism partner. In 2019 some 5.8 million Chinese had visited the country, accounting for nearly a third of all international arrivals.

HSBC forecast in its latest report on Viet Nam’s economy that the Southeast Asian country will see a rise in the number of Chinese visitors of 50-80 percent in 2023 compared to the pre-pandemic volume, or three to 4.5 million Chinese tourists.

Reporting by THU HA – Translating by A. THU