During 2015 Da Nang saw many positives in its tourism sector which helped to make the city a new and more attractive destination for visitors from both home and abroad.
Over the year, the city welcomed around 4.6 million visitors, up 20.5% against last year, and exceeded the year’s target by 3.8%. Of this total, the number of foreigners rose by 30.8% to around 1.25 million, whilst domestic visitor numbers increased by 17% to over 3.35 million. The total revenue of the local tourism sector reached 12,700 billion VND, a rise of 28.7% against last year and exceeding the year’s target by 7.6%.
These positive results were mainly attributed to the wide range of large-scale cultural and sporting events which were held across the city over the year. These included the Da Nang International Fireworks Competition, the ‘2015 Da Nang – Summer Destination’ programme, the city’s Beach Tourism Season, and the Da Nang International Marathon.
On 24 November, the Da Nang international airport welcomed the 6-millionth air passenger to arrive in the city during 2015. This impressive growth is the result of more domestic and international airlines operating into the airport, including low-cost carriers like KeJu Air and Jetstar Asia.
The city is now home to a total of 490 hotels and resorts offering 18,233 rooms. Ninety-one of the hotels are 3 to 5 star with a total of 9,311 rooms.
However, the local tourism sector is now lacking skilled employees, large-scale periodic arts performances, and attractive tourism products for foreign visitors. In addition, the harassment of tourists and illegal touting is still continuing at some local tourist attractions, which has adversely affected the city’s tourism environment.
According to the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the city is aiming to increase the total revenue of the local tourism sector by 16.5% against 2015 to hit 14,000 billion VND by the end of 2016. Importance will also be attached to effectively resolving the harassment of tourists and the presence of itinerant beggars and street vendors at local tourist attractions.
A code of conduct for the local tourism sector, which has already been issued by the municipal Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, will be widely introduced and enforced in the city. The new code is intended to make the city into a more attractive, safe and friendly destination for travellers from both home and abroad.
(Source: ĐTĐN)
