Da Nang targets new international tourism markets

Attractive tourist sites coupled with beautiful beaches in the central region are typically popular tourist destinations among Russian and Chinese visitors. However, central localities have received almost no visitors from these two key markets due to the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict and China’s ongoing zero-COVID policy.

Located in the central region as a tourism hub, Da Nang city is seeking alternative sources of visitors from new markets such as India, which is widely considered a potential tourism market with a population of approximately 1.4 billion.

Currently, an average of roughly 6,000 Indian tourists enter the country every day, 24 times more than previously recorded, according to statistics unveiled by the tourism industry.

Nguyen Nhu Nam, general director of the Vietnam TravelMart Joint Stock Company, revealed that the firm recently received many Indian couples visiting the central region to survey venues for wedding ceremonies at coastal resorts.

“Some of the visiting couples have chosen Da Nang as the venue for their coming wedding,” he said.

Along with exploiting the Indian market, tourism businesses in Da Nang are preparing services such as restaurants and hotels in order to serve this new segment of guests.

According to Nguyen Duc Quynh, chairman of the Da Nang Hotel Association, restaurants designated for Indian guests are typically small, serving between 30 and 60 people. The Da Nang Hotel Association has therefore mapped out a strategy of bringing in Indian chefs to cook unique dishes specifically for Indian tourists.

Along with the Indian market, Da Nang is also targeting a number of other international markets such as Australia and the Philippines. The Asian route development forum 2022 (Routes Asia 2022) which was held in June provides an opportunity for Da Nang to quickly recover and open new international routes to Australia, India, and the Philippines.

The Da Nang Department of Tourism reported that there will be nine airlines operating roughly 2,700 international flights and bringing in about 360,000 passengers to Da Nang between the end of October and March, 2023.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, deputy director of the Da Nang Department of Tourism, said that the central city has adjusted plans to restore and develop the international tourist market to Da Nang in late 2022 and for early 2023. The city’s tourism industry will update to market changes and trends in customer tastes so they are ready to welcome visitors from India, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

According to the official, the city will organise special cultural and tourism events as part of efforts to attract tourists to Da Nang.

“The tourism industry of Da Nang has worked with many tourism businesses and airlines to develop plans for these events. Besides traditional routes, we will promote the opening of new routes from potential markets such as India, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia to the city in the near future,” said Binh.