On Monday morning, ceremonies were held at Da Nang International Airport to welcome the first domestic and foreign air passengers of the New Year 2024.

The first international air passengers to Da Nang receiving flowers and gifts in the form of vouchers. Photo: THU HA

The events were co- organised by the municipal Department of Tourism, the Da Nang International Airport, the Da Nang International Terminal Investment and Operation Joint Stock Company (AHT), Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air.

On the first day of the new year 2024, the Da Nang Airport welcomed 112 domestic and international flights bringing a combined total of more than 15,500 passengers, of which, 50 were international flights carrying an estimated 7,500 passengers.

Many tourists are excited about taking instant check-in photos at Da Nang International Airport. Photo: THU HA

The municipal Department of Tourism organized welcome ceremonies for three flights to Da Nang.

Specifically, at the domestic terminal, national flag carrier Viet Nam Airlines-operated flight VN157 brought 140 passengers from Ha Noi to Da Nang.

Meanwhile, the international terminal welcomed 140 passengers from Incheon, South Korea to Da Nang on flight VJ881 run by budget carrier Vietjet Air.

On the afternoon of the same day, flight VN319, operated by Vietnam Airlines, brought 154 Japanese passengers from Narita to Da Nang.

At the welcome ceremonies, representatives from the Department of Tourism presented flowers, gifts and conical hats to the first air passengers, and gave vouchers for airline tickets to lucky ones.

One of the exciting activities at Da Nang International was to be instant check-in photography service.

Among the first domestic air passengers who set foot in Da Nang on New Year’s Day, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Loan from Tien Giang Province’s My Tho City felt very excited as receiving a warm welcome at the Da Nang Airport.

During their stay in the city, her family members will visit some popular tourist attractions and enjoy the atmosphere of the first days of the new year.

The first air passengers in the New Year are welcomed at Da Nang International Airport, promising to open a new path for the development of the Da Nang tourism. Photo: THU HA

Coming to Da Nang for the first time on New Year's Day, the family of Mr. Lee Bong Soo from South Korea plans to stay in the city for one week.

He shared that his family was very excited to experience their vacation in Da Nang as they had heard a lot of good reviews for the city from their friends and relatives.

In 2023, air passengers were still the main source of tourists for the local tourism sector with 40,000 flights, a 1.42 times higher than 2022 and recording a recovery of 81. 2% compared to 2019.

The reopening of international direct flights significantly contributed to accelerating the recovery of the local tourism sector.

As of late 2023, the Da Nang Airport had operated 7 domestic routes with an average frequency of 51 flights/day and 16 international routes with a frequency of 49 flights/day.

The first domestic air passengers in Da Nang were warmly welcomed and given New Year's gifts. Photo: THU HA

According to Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Hoai An, the positive signals from flights to Da Nang on the first day of the New Year 2024 promised to open a new path with much excitement and expectation for the strong recovery of tourism in the near future.

Over the 3-day New Year holiday break from December 30 – January 1, the city welcomed nearly 450 international and domestic flights, an increase of 10% compared to last year. That showed that Da Nang was still a favourite destination for domestic and international tourists.

“The biggest goal of the Da Nang tourism in 2024 is to welcome 8.43 million visitors. Therefore, in 2024, the city's tourism industry has many plans to promote and connect more international tourist markets, expand flight routes, and further diversify both markets and product types in order to lure more customers" Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoai An shared.

​Reporting by THU HA - Translating by M.DUNG