In addition to its traditional international tourist source market, Da Nang’s tourism industry has on track to attract new tourist markets by creating more favourable conditions to welcome delegates from international travel agencies that want to survey the city’s tourism environment and connect with local businesses.

Representatives of Indonesian travel business are seen during a market survey in Da Nang from January 8 to 12. Photo: T.H

Diverse and rich tourist sites

In early 2024, international tour groups from foreign countries in the region took trips to Da Nang to survey and experience its tourism services. Outstandingly, a 35-member group representing travel businesses from many Indonesian cities came to Da Nang from January 8 to 12 through collaboration between the Da Nang Department of Tourism, the Da Nang Tourism Association and the Indonesian Astindo Travel Association. Da Nang also held a reception for a delegation of 60 leaders of Philippine travel companies from January 7 to 11 with the support by the Quang Nam Tourism Association, in collaboration with Duy Nhat Indochina Travel Company.

During their stay in Da Nang, these aforementioned visitors experienced Da Nang's key tourist sites such as the Sun World Ba Na Hills Tourist Area, the Linh Ung Pagoda on the Son Tra Peninsula, the ‘ Rong’ (Dragon) Bridge, Love Bridge, Da Nang beaches, Marble Mountains Special National Relic Site and the Museum of Cham Sculpture.

Coming to Da Nang for the first time and experiencing services here, Dr. Leilani C.Agana, the CEO of World Master Travel Company based in the Philippines, expressed her surprise with Da Nang’s good transportation infrastructure and many diverse and rich tourist sites. “We stayed at luxury hotels, experience delicious and unique local cuisine. So after this trip, we will build a tours that highlight attractions of Da Nang and other central Vietnamese localities for the Filipino tourists.”,  said Ms. Leilani.

Ms. Pauline Suharno, the Chairwoman of the ASTINDO is the Indonesian Travel Agents Association, also evaluated Da Nang as a very beautiful city. After COVID-19, international and domestic flights in Indonesia have recovered by more than 90% and travel demand has increased significantly with a selection of new destinations and high-quality, well-crafted tour programmes. Therefore, Indonesian travel businesses will build products that suit the tastes of Indonesians.

Ms. Pauline Suharno said that Indonesia is a densely populated market with more than 280 million people, including Muslim tourists. However, the Muslim tourist market from Indonesia is not too strict because when a destination has services labeled Halal-friend, Muslim tourists will be encouraged to use the services more.

Many "materials" for tourism product building

According to Director of Da Nang-based Indochina Unique Tourist company Nguyen Son Thuy, in addition to the international tourist markets currently being exploited, many businesses in the city are gearing up promotion and cooperation activities to expand international tourist source markets in regions such as Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. To attract these foreign markets, it is a foremost need for Da Nang to promote its diverse, good-quality products to travel businesses and service operators in such foreign countries’.

Therefore, famtrip will create conditions for foreign tourism businesses to conduct surveys and experience services, and clearly feel the tourism products of Da Nang and Central Viet Nam at large.  Thanks to this, foreign businesses  will have connections with Da Nang partners to build suitable Da Nang tour packages and progarmmes for customers in their countries.

Mr. Thuy further informed that for markets with direct flights, businesses can build tour products of 3 days/ 2 nights, 4 days/ 3 nights or 5 days/4 nights. Because Da Nang, the Central Viet Nam as a whole, have many "materials" to build tourism products that can meet a variety of tourist needs such as discovery, experiential, culinary, golf and cultural tourism.

In his point of views, Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association Cao Tri Dung said the his unit always strongly supports international tour groups coming to Da Nang to survey and experience local services. Foreign markets with which Da Nang has opened direct flights will have many advantages in building their tour packages. As for the connecting and charter markets, survey teams are like those who pave the way.

After their survey trips to Da Nang, representatives of foreign travel agencies will gain more experience and have a deeper insight into the services at certain place to which they intent to bring visitors as well as build their own tour collections that suit the needs of the people of their countries.

Most partners, after the survey, highly appreciated Da Nang’s tourist spots and promised to form specific products. “For some destinations with which Da Nang has yet to open direct flights like the Indonesian market, connections through charter flights are taken into account.  When the number of passengers is large enough, it is necessary to convince airlines to open direct flights. To be ready to welcome tourists form new markets, including Indonesia, Da Nang has made good preparations in terms of accommodation, services, tour guides so as to best meet the needs of tourists.”, said  Mr. Cao Tri Dung.

In a bid to diversify the international tourist source market, the city’s tourism industry will restructure and expand promotion of potential markets in the coming time. The Da Nang Department of Tourism will organise market research occasions and grasp new tourism trends to have appropriate forms of promotion and advertising for each market and the products of each tourist site. Another task is to coordinate with tourism businesses and airlines to restore direct international flights connecting Da Nang with other parts of the world as well as open new ones.

Reporting by THU HA - Translating by A.THU