As part of the HORECFEX VIETNAM 2025 Technology and Innovation Forum & Exhibition in Da Nang, and with the permission of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, on August 27, 2025, the Da Nang Center for Tourism Promotion, in cooperation with the Organizing Committee of HorecFex Vietnam 2025, held the conference themed “Da Nang – Digitally Connected, Globally Elevated.” This was one of the key activities within the framework of HorecFex Vietnam 2025, an international large-scale exhibition for the hotel, restaurant, and culinary industries, gathering numerous businesses, experts, and international partners.
Serving as an open dialogue platform, the conference aimed to evaluate, share, and discuss approaches to cooperation between Da Nang as a destination and international Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), thereby proposing development orientations for the coming period in line with digital transformation trends and the increasingly diverse needs of global travelers.
I. OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE
The conference “Da Nang – Digitally Connected, Globally Elevated” was organized with three main objectives:
- To assess the current state of cooperation between Da Nang and OTAs in recent years, highlighting achievements, limitations, and lessons learned.
- To create a forum for sharing experiences among stakeholders, including regulatory authorities, travel agencies, hotels, and OTA partners, with the goal of optimizing cooperation effectiveness.
- To propose solutions and new cooperation orientations for the coming period, aiming to build a smart tourism ecosystem, enhance Da Nang’s competitiveness, and affirm its position as a leading destination in the region.
II. CONTENT OF THE CONFERENCE
The conference program was structured with specific topics, combining presentations and panel discussions.
1. Assessment report on the cooperation between Da Nang City and OTAs, and future orientations, presented by the Da Nang Center for Tourism Promotion. The content focuses on analyzing the role of OTAs in the city’s tourism development, highlighting the results of joint promotional campaigns with major platforms in recent years, and outlining plans to expand cooperation in green tourism, eco-tourism, gastronomy, and cultural experiences.
2. Sharing experiences in cooperation and optimizing travel service operations through OTAs. This section will present successful cooperation models between travel businesses and OTAs, approaches to connecting online tour products with international markets, as well as solutions to enhance customer experience when purchasing services via digital platforms.
3. Experiences in cooperation and optimizing hotel operations with OTAs. Presented by DS Company – a consultancy specializing in OTA solutions for hotel systems. The content focuses on distribution channel management tools (channel managers), flexible pricing strategies, building hotel branding on OTA platforms, and optimizing visibility to increase online booking rates. This is a particularly important issue for small and medium-sized hotels in Da Nang amid the context of global competition.
4. Open discussion session: “Opportunities – Challenges and Solutions in Destination–OTA Cooperation” with the participation of experts, tourism businesses, OTA representatives, and regulatory authorities. The discussion will delve into practical issues such as online consumer trends, price and policy competition, customer data sharing, as well as joint communication strategies to promote Da Nang in international markets. This session is expected to be the most dynamic part of the conference, providing valuable and practical contributions for both the city and the business community.
III. COOPERATION ORIENTATIONS FOR THE COMING PERIOD
From the topics to be shared and discussed at the conference, Da Nang City outlines its cooperation with OTAs along three key directions:
Strengthening dialogue and strategic cooperation:
Establish a long-term cooperation mechanism between the Da Nang Center for Tourism Promotion and leading OTAs, especially targeting the city’s priority markets.
Develop joint communication campaigns (co-branding) to promote Da Nang according to each tourism season.
Introduce new products such as green tourism, eco-tourism, cultural and heritage tourism, gastronomy, and wellness experiences for body–mind–spirit. These are the city’s strengths and also align with trends favored by international visitors.
Future cooperation with OTAs will be tied to long-term communication plans, rather than only short-term stimulus programs or ad-hoc promotional campaigns.
Diversify products on OTA platforms: in addition to accommodation, flights, and transportation, promotion will focus on Da Nang’s distinctive offerings such as eco-tourism, heritage, cuisine, wellness, and lifestyle.
Develop long-term communication plans: instead of fragmented campaigns, the city will coordinate with OTAs to build an annual promotional calendar aligned with major events such as the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF), Enjoy Danang Festival, and the International Marathon.
2. Digital Transformation and Data Integration
Coordinate in developing an integrated city tourism data platform, in which OTAs play a role in sharing market trend information. Encourage OTAs to provide APIs and open data to support state management and local businesses.
3. Supporting Local Businesses
Organize training programs on digital skills, OTA management, and digital marketing for small and medium-sized enterprises.
4. Management and Orientation for Sustainable Development
Establish a set of criteria to evaluate OTAs in their cooperation with the city, focusing on transparency, communication effectiveness, and contributions to sustainable development.
Move towards managing accommodation services on OTAs to ensure fairness and service quality.
5. Applying Creative Communication: Collaborate with OTAs to implement campaigns with KOLs and travel bloggers, combined with the production of game shows, vlogs, and online series to enhance Da Nang’s visibility in international markets, particularly among young travelers.
Through the conference, Da Nang’s tourism sector is expected to achieve broader development with various platforms to promote tourism activities, especially in the context of the government’s strong push for digital transformation and the advancement of digital platforms.
DA NANG CENTER FOR TOURISM PROMOTION
