The total number of guests staying at accommodation establishes in Da Nang is expected to reach 10.3 million in 2024, up 39% against 2023. Revenue from accommodation, catering and travel services during the year is likely to hit more than VND 38,000 billion, up 37% compared to 2023, equal to 178% compared to 2019 (the peak period of Da Nang tourism).

To achieve this goal as well as create momentum for the New Year, the local tourism industry is making efforts to attract visitors, especially during the forthcoming Christmas and New Year 2025 holidays.

The city is preparing many events, programmes, and products to welcome tourists at the end of the year and the new year 2025. Photo: NGUYEN XUAN TU

Creating highlights for Da Nang

Following previous successful events, the city will organise the X'mas - New Year Festival 2025 to increase its attractiveness at the end of the year.

Mr. Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the municipal Tourism Association, said that this is the first year that Da Nang has included this festival in its tourism promotion activities.

He added, in recent years, Da Nang has had almost no low tourist seasons. Tourists from such markets as Europe, Australia and the United States often arrive in Da Nang between October and April. The city is welcoming this source of visitors very well thanks to renewing the product ecosystem, opening convenient flight routes, and building more suitable service infrastructure to increase experiences for this type of visitors.

This year’s X'mas - New Year Festival is expected to lure more visitors to Da Nang, especially those with high sensitivity to events, foreign ex-pats who are living and working in Viet Nam, and domestic tourists, Mr. Dung shared.

According to Mr. Dung, the municipal Tourism Association will organise response activities. In particular, the Association's large enterprises will have many programmes at hotels and destinations to create a bustling "picture" for the Christmas season, thereby facilitating tourists to have a variety of products to choose from.

According to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Hoai An, in the last months of the year, the city's tourism industry will organise a number of events, festivals, and tourism products such as the launching of the Da Nang Food Tour campaign, and Citilinks-operated charter flights between Indonesia’s Jakarta and Da Nang in December; the opening of direct international flights with China, Japan (Nagoya, Osaka), Australia, and Qatar; the installation of check-in models; and the organisation of activities to welcome in Christmas and New Year 2025.

“For a long time, Da Nang has not been the most attractive destination at the end of the year, so the Christmas - New Year 2025 Festival is a tourism product expected to attract a large number of tourists. In the coming time, it will be upgraded and organised annually. We expect to organise a truly explosive festival in public spaces, and create new products for tourists, contributing to bringing the total number of visitors staying in the city to over 10 million, up nearly 40% compared to 2023”, Ms. Hoai An expressed.

Foreign tourists arrive in Da Nang by cruise ships. Photo: NGOC HA

Adding driving force for tourism market in 2025

Many specialised products have been introduced to exploit the Christmas and New Year seasons.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Deputy Director of the Hai Van Cat International Travel Company, said that a common tourism stimulus package will be applied for both "inbound" and domestic tourist markets.

"The company often updates the local tourism industry's programmes and policies to customers. As soon as the city plans to organise the Christmas - New Year 2025 Festival, we will promote extensive communication of the event to potential markets on Fanpages and Tiktok. In addition, Da Nang will open more direct flights to Sa Pa, Da Lat, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc during the month, which are very convenient to exploit the number of visitors to the city in late 2024 and early 2025" said Mr. Thien.

The end of the year is also the time when Da Nang attracts MICE groups. Mr. Huynh Thanh Son, General Director of DANAGO Tourism JSC, shared that his company focused on exploiting the domestic tourist market mainly with tours to Da Nang. To stimulate tourism demand at the end of the year, the company proactively boosts communication activities, enhances the promotion of images, products and services to customers, and improves service quality, aimed at ensuring the best experience for customers. Many tourism businesses in the city have reached the planned milestone for 2024 but are constantly making efforts to prepare plans for the next year.

Director of Visit Indochina Tourism Company Nguyen Son Thuy said that, the company has basically completed the plans and programmes from now until the end of the year. At the same time, it has a plan for 2025 such as registering to participate in international fairs in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India; organising many famtrips for foreign travel agencies to survey tourism products in Da Nang, Hoi An, Da Lat, Sa Pa, Ha Noi, and Phu Quoc; and developing MICE and golf tourism products.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai An, the tourism industry has been implementing the 2025 plan such as promoting communications, restoring some flight routes, and working with airlines to launch new routes connecting Da Nang with new markets such as Indonesia, Australia, and Southeast Asian nations with cultural similarities.

Reporting by NGOC HA - Translating by M.DUNG