In addition to renewing tourism products, adding events and festivals to increase visitor experience, the Da Nang tourism industry also pays special heed to tourism promotion activities in key tourist source markets, looking for new markets to diversify the source of visitors.

Advertising and promotion activities create opportunities for domestic and international tourism businesses to seek future cooperation. Businesses in Da Nang and Indonesia and exchange their experience on the sideline of the Indonesian famtrip event in Da Nang. Photo: THU HA

According to tourism professionals, not only do promotional activities contribute to introducing and promoting existing city tourism products but they are also an opportunity for accompanying tourism and travel businesses to have opportunities to find and meet partners in foreign countries.

Grasping this fact, since the beginning of the year, the city's tourism industry has had many on-site promotion activities by inviting famtrip groups from foreign tourism and travel service businesses that wanted to survey and experience the city’s tourist attractions and services.

Recently, a famtrip delegation consisting of 35 Indonesian tourism businesses had a trip to survey Da Nang's tourism services. As reported by Mr. Nguyen Minh Xoang, the Director of Hai Van Cat International Travel Joint Stock Company, which specialises in attracting Indonesian tourism business to Viet Nam, following promotional trips to the Indonesian market, he realised that this is a potential market with the 4^th largest population in the world and the largest one in Southeast Asia. It is important to build a tourism environment that suits the tastes of these tourists.

The Muslim passenger market from Indonesia is not too strict, and meanwhile, Da Nang has already debuted services exclusively for these special guests. For instance, prayer rooms to serve Muslim passengers have operated at the Da Nang International Airport since the start of 2023. Similar rooms have been available at restaurants and accommodation establishments,  Many areas and locations also include with prayer rooms and introduce services friendly to Muslim guests. Services labelled Halal-friendly encourage customers to use the service more.

Participating in a famtrip in Da Nang with the Indonesian delegation, Mr. Joseph, the Asia Regional Sales Director of Citilink Airlines, a fast-growing low-cost carrier based in Jakarta, Indonesia, said that Da Nang, and Viet Nam’s central region as a whole, became more attractive to Indonesian tourist source market.

Citilink Airlines plans to coordinate with travel companies in Da Nang, and Central Viet Nam at large, to open flights from Jakarta to Da Nang in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the immediate expectation of operating 2 flights/week and increasing the flight frequency after developing a stable number of customers. Along with on-site promotion activities, the city's tourism industry has also deployed advertising and promotion activities in key overseas markets.

As reported by the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre, in June, the Da Nang Department of Tourism coordinated with its counterparts in the neighbouring provinces of Thua Thien - Hue and Quang Nam to organize a joint tourism promotion programme in Taipei, Taiwan (China) with the theme ‘Central Viet Nam Heritage’.

The programme saw the participation of more than 120 guests who are representatives of airlines, travel companies and press agencies in Taipei, Taiwan (China), offering an opportunity for businesses to join meetings, connections and exchanges. At the event, representatives from Thua Thien - Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam introduced to guests their typical tourism products with a focus on the in-depth promotion of products suitable to the tastes of Taiwanese (Chinese) tourists such as beach resort tourism, cultural, culinary tourism, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), spa, golf, wedding and event tourism.

In early July, the city's Department of Tourism and local businesses will jointlyorganise a tourism promotion programme in Seoul and Busan, South Korea.

Director of the Da Nang Department of Tourism, Truong Thi Hong Hanh said that,at promotional activities abroad, the city's tourism industry and businesses introduced and updated information about new and unique tourism products of Da Nang to their partners here.

In addition, through these promotional activities, tourism businesses in the city have the opportunity to access, exchange information, increase business expansion and connection with partners in the host country in a bid to attract more tourists to Da Nang.

Recently, in an effort to attract South Korean tourists back to Da Nang, the city's tourism industry introduced the ‘Enjoy Da Nang Again’ campaign to the South Korean tourist market. Accordingly, from July 15 to the end of 2024, the campaign will bring South Korean tourists who have been to Da Nang extremely interesting travel experience when returning to the city.

South Korean tourists will be given souvenirs such as an umbrella with stylised images of the city's symbols and prominent tourists attractions, along with highly-inviting incentive packages and discounts on accommodation services at hotels labelled 4-5 stars, entertainment services at the Da Nang Downtown, Charming Show, along with culinary, shopping, spa, transportation experiences.

According to a representative of the Da Nang Department of Tourism, South Korean visitors will receive souvenirs upon their arrival at the international terminal, the Da Nang International Airport. Visitors can scan the QR provided in publications and programme information pages to receive incentives from participating service providers.

Da Nang is the first locality in Viet Nam to implement this programme for the South Korean tourist market. Thereby, the city wishes to maintain its identity in the eyes of South Korean tourists as a unique destination bringing unique, interesting experience to them.

With many attractive new products and services, cooperation and regular exchanges and connections between Da Nang tourism partners and key tourism markets, it is expected that Da Nang will still be an attractive destination for foreign tourists source markets.

Reporting by THU HA - Translating by A.THU