Diversifying international visitor sources is essential for Da Nang’s tourism industry to fill missing tourist markets. Therefore, the municipal Department of Tourism has been organising many tourism promotion and advertising activities in Southeast Asian markets to lure more tourists from Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore to the city.

International visitors at Da Nang International Airport. Photo: THU HA

Tourist markets in Southeast Asia have not been among the main tourist sources of Da Nang for a long time.

However, according to the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center, top source of international visitor arrivals in Da Nang in the first nine months of 2023 was Thailand. Meanwhile, Malaysia was ranked sixth and Singapore was in the 10^th place in the top 10 international tourist markets.

Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy, Director of the Duy Nhat Indochina Tourism Co., Ltd., said that many countries in Southeast Asia are in the group of 10 with large numbers of visitors to Viet Nam, including Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore. These tourist markets are very close to Da Nang and boast many favorable conditions such as direct air routes, short flight times, convenient economic conditions for tourism recovery, and opening tourism policies.

According to Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy, Da Nang's tourism ecosystem has many advantages and is more diverse than other regions in terms of traffic infrastructure and tourist attractions.

Notably, one of the largest tourist sources from Southeast Asia are Muslim tourists, but Da Nang does not have an ecosystem for this market as there are still few Halal-certified restaurants and few public prayer places. Therefore, Mr. Thuy suggested the city call on businesses to invest in ecosystems for the tourist market.

Over recent years, Da Nang has regularly organised seminars to promote its tourism in key markets.

For instance, on October 6, the Da Nang Department of Tourism, on Friday, introduced local distinctive tourism products in Jakarta, Indonesia, with a focus on the Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism, golf and eco-tourism, cultural heritage, culinary experience, nightlife entertainment, and prominent events and festivals.

In the near future, a programme to promote Da Nang tourism will be held in Manila, the Philippines on October 18, and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 23. The city will attend the ITB Asia slated in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from October 25 – 27.

In November, the city is expected to welcome famtrip groups from Southeast Asian countries to conduct surveys of MICE tourism products and services. The municipal Department of Tourism also has a plan to promote each specific Southeast Asian market in 2024.

Regular promotion activities provide the opportunity for tourism firms to meet and connect with customers in the future. IN PHOTO: Tourism businesses of Da Nang and Indonesia at the Da Nang tourism promotion programme in Indonesia. Photo: THU HA

Most recently, tourism businesses from Da Nang and Indonesia had the opportunity to meet and connect to exchange customers in the future.

According to Ms. Pauline, President of the Indonesian Travel Association, reputable tour operators in Indonesia, shared that 53% of Indonesian tourists are willing to pay for high-end tours that include many services. The regular update of products and the attendance of linkage activities are very important for travel businesses.

"We hope that the Da Nang-Indonesia air service will be launched soon in a bid to strengthen cooperation between tourism partners of the two sides in the coming time" Ms. Pauline said.

Mr. Tan Van Vuong, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism, affirmed that the city is making efforts to connect and communicate directly with domestic airlines and Indonesian airlines to promote the opening of direct flights between the two localities.

Along with that, the tourism industry will focus on appealing for investment in facilities and infrastructure to serve the Muslim tourists in general and Indonesian tourists in particular, with the aim to soon attract a large number of tourists from these markets to Da Nang in the time to come.

Reporting by THU HA - Translating by M.DUNG