Da Nang has welcomed a number of tourists over the three-day New Year holiday but visits to the city were lower than previous years. However, a rise in the number of visitors to tourist sites and entertainment areas across the city offers a new breath of life for the city's tourism industry in 2022.

Lucky first footers in the city received gifts on the first day of the New Year. Photo: THU HA

First air passengers set foot in the city on New Year's Day given a warm welcome

A combined total of 184 domestic air passengers set foot in Da Nang on New Year's Day. The Da Nang Department of Tourism worked with national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and the Da Nang Airport held a warm welcoming ceremony for the first footers from Ho Chi Minh City.

Mrs Nguyen Thi Hoai An, the Director of the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center remarked that the first footers in Da Nang on New Year's Day has breathed life into the city’s pandemic-hit tourism industry, stating that hopes are beginning to arise that the sector will rebound quickly from the COVID-19 crisis in 2022.

Mrs An unveiled that the city will continue to create tourism recovery plan to help sector build back better from the pandemic in 2022 with a focus on accelerating digital transformation in such aspects as tourism promotion and marketing.

She said that the city will host Routes Asia by mid-2022, and the annual event is the only air service development forum that covers Asia and Australasia, moving to a new city every year to shine a spotlight on different aviation markets. It brings airlines, airports, tourism authorities and other relevant stakeholders together to discuss future air services in this region. The two-month international event is scheduled to take place in Da Nang from August 6 to October 6.

Mrs An hoped that this international event will open up new opportunities for Da Nang tourism in 2022 as it helps to connect international flights on new potential routes to bring more international tourists to the city.

According to the municipal Department of Tourism, 9 out of the city’s 16 tourist sites have reopened to visitors in the New Year holiday. Included are the Marble Mountains Tourist Area, the Toom Sara traditional village nestled in Hoa Phu mountainous commune, Hoa Vang District, the Da Nang Museum, the Dong Dinh Museum, the Museum of Cham Sculpture, the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum, the Son Tra Peninsula, the Luong Stream-Hai Van Park eco-tourism resort, Mikazuki  Water Park 365.

Domestic airlines are planning to operate their flights to Da Nang from Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, and Phu Quoc, Buon Me Thuot, Hai Phong, and Can Tho. Particularly, Vietnam Airlines began to increase the frequency of their domestic flights from January 1 with around 300 one-way flights a day, a rise of 120% from the normal days in order to meet growing travel demand for upcoming Tet Festival.

Tourist sites and entertainment venues have witnessed a significant rise in visitor numbers over the three-day New Year holiday, giving great hopes for quick recovery from the pandemic for the city’s tourism industry in 2022. IN PHOTO: Local residents visiting the March 29 Park on New Year’s Day. Photo: XUAN SON

Exciting events held to celebrate New Year

1 January, 2022 marked the 25^th anniversary of Da Nang’s recognition as centrally-governed city. Therefore, a wide range of cultural events took place across the city to celebrate the New Year and the city’s special day. However, such events were somewhat more limited than those in previous years due to the complicated and unpredictable developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the wake of the pandemic, local residents mainly travelled around the city and went out to the miniatures along both banks of the Han River for a photoshoot. Other most visited spots in the city were an installation art space themed ‘The Door of Time’ on the eastern sidewalk of Nhu Nguyet Street, Hai Chau District, and an photo exhibition themed 'Da Nang's 25-year Journey: Achievements and Prospects' with over 100 art works on display at a park at the western side of Dragon Bridge.

In its efforts to ensure the safety for locals and tourists and entertain them during the New Year holiday amid COVID-19, Da Nang held musical shows in both in-person and virtual events for those who love the arts. However, the city imposed capacity limits on such in-person events in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.

Mr Pham Tan Chu, the Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports said that various exciting events were held across the city to welcome the new year 2022 and mark the 25^th anniversary of Da Nang’s recognition as centrally-governed city in the most appropriate way but ensure a solemn, peaceful and orderly observance of the city’s special day. Such events show high hopes for Da Nang in 2022 and a quick economic recovery after COVID-19, Mr Chu remarked.

Reporting by THU HA – XUAN DUNG - Translating by H.L