Vietjet Air-operated flight VJ1972, carrying 120 passengers from Ahmedabad in India's Gujarat state, landed at Da Nang International Airport on Thursday morning.

The first passengers on the newly-launched flight were offered flowers and souvenirs, as well as enjoyed specials artistic performances, at Da Nang International Airport. Photo: THU HA.

Representatives of the Da Nang Department of Tourism and Vietjet Air held a ceremony to welcome these Indian travellers.

The first passengers on the flight were also presented with flowers and souvenirs, as well as enjoyed special artistic performances.

The new air route will operate two round trips weekly, using Airbus A320 aircraft with a seating capacity of 180. Flights from Da Nang to Ahmedabad will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Meanwhile, the return flights from Ahmedabad to Da Nang will be on Thursdays and Sundays.

Air passengers were greeted with gifts, check-in photos, and music performances upon their arrival at the Da Nang International Airport. Photo: THU HA

Mr. Nimit Midha was very happy to be welcomed and take check-in photos at Da Nang International Airport. He said that he had heard a lot about Da Nang. During his 4-day stay in the city, he will visit some of the city’s popular tourist attractions as well as explore the local culture and cuisine.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Tan Van Vuong said that India is a potential market for Da Nang tourism. He also highlighted the significance of the opening of the Da Nang - Ahmedabad air route in luring more Indian tourists to Da Nang.

Da Nang’s tourism industry has been laying an emphasis on advertising the city's tourism image; boosting the opening of flights between Da Nang and a number of Indian cities; diversifying products and services to form a tourism ecosystem to meet the needs and tastes of Indian tourists; improving service quality; and ensuring the security of all destinations in the city.

Many Indian tourists enjoyed taking quick check-in photos at Da Nang International Airport. Photo: THU HA

Within the framework of the programme, the city welcomed a famtrip delegation including representatives of 20 travel companies and a presstrip delegation of 19 journalists from India to survey Da Nang tourism and write in-depth articles promoting Da Nang tourism in major Indian newspapers.

The delegations will have four days to experience the city’s typical tourism products, including Sun World Ba Na Hills, Son Tra Peninsula, Linh Ung Pagoda, Marble Mountains and Quang Nam Province’s Hoi An City.

The air route not only meets the growing demand for travel between the two localities but also opens up new opportunities for economic, educational, cultural and technological cooperation. Photo: THU HA

Da Nang's strategic focus on the Indian market began in 2018 with tourism promotion events in Mumbai and New Delhi. The city has welcomed Famtrip delegations comprising representatives from Indian travel agents, and event and wedding planners who come to connect with local tourism companies.

The city’s tourism sector has participated in fairs specialising in the Indian tourist market. Additionally, online tourism promotion efforts have been underway on Instagram specifically targeting the Indian market.

In the first nine months of this year, Da Nang received about 139,086 Indian tourists, a 4.2% increase year-on-year in the context of no direct flights from major cities in India to Da Nang.

In 2024, the city also attracted 4 large weddings of Indian couples with more than 1,200 guests, and 20 MICE tourist groups from India with about 3,000 guests in total.

It is known that Ahmedabad is the largest city in Gujarat state and the 7^th largest urban agglomeration in India, with a population of about 5.1 million people. The opening of the new air route not only meets the growing demand for travel between the two localities but also opens up new opportunities for economic, educational, cultural and technological cooperation.

Reporting by THU HA, VAN HOANG - Translating by M.DUNG, P.TRA