Bringing together more than 300 tourism service suppliers, 150 international buyers, 400 domestic buyers, and over 1,500 delegates and attendees, the Da Nang International Tourism Festival 2026 (DITF 2026) recorded more than 7,000 B2B business matching meetings. Beyond the impressive scale of these connections, the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) has raised expectations for partnerships that will be maintained and developed beyond the event, contributing to more substantive and sustainable tourism promotion efforts.
On the morning of October 18, 2026, the Opening Ceremony of the Business & B2B Networking Space took place at Ariyana Convention Centre Danang as part of the Da Nang International Tourism Festival 2026 (DITF 2026). The ceremony was attended by city leaders, representatives of tourism organizations and associations, and a large number of domestic and international businesses and partners. As a key highlight of the festival, held from October 16 to 19, the ceremony marked the transition from destination promotion and introduction activities to direct business meetings and trade exchanges among participating enterprises.
Under the theme “Connecting Partners, Creating Future,” DITF 2026, organized by the Da Nang Tourism Association, brought together more than 300 tourism service suppliers (sellers), 150 international buyers, 400 domestic buyers, and over 1,500 delegates and attendees. Notably, the event recorded more than 7,000 B2B (Business-to-Business) business matching meetings, reflecting both the scale of participation and the demand for cooperation within the tourism business community, at a time when the market is placing increasing emphasis on product quality and business efficiency.
Beyond enabling businesses to showcase their service capabilities, understand the needs of individual markets, and expand their distribution networks, the business networking space also encouraged the development of integrated tourism products, ranging from leisure travel, culture, and heritage experiences to Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE). Through strategically arranged meetings, participating businesses had opportunities to engage in more in-depth discussions on partnership policies, product development potential, and plans to attract and serve visitors in the coming period.
The significance of the opening ceremony lay not only in the scale of participation but also in its emphasis on developing tourism through a greater focus on quality and long-term value. City leaders and representatives of tourism associations highlighted the importance of strengthening market connections, enhancing competitiveness, and transforming initial business contacts into practical agreements and cooperation programmes. This direction also reflects the broader ambition to establish DITF as an annual international tourism promotion and business networking platform, helping expand cooperation opportunities for Da Nang’s businesses and Vietnam’s tourism industry.
FROM LOCAL CONNECTIONS TO EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIETNAM’S TOURISM INDUSTRY
Speaking at the Da Nang International Tourism Festival 2026 (DITF 2026), Mr. Ho Ky Minh, Member of the Standing Committee of the Da Nang Party Committee and Standing Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee, emphasized the city’s strategic direction towards tourism development that prioritizes quality experiences and added value.
He affirmed: “The city is orienting its tourism development towards high quality, international competitiveness, and added value, shifting its focus from growth in visitor numbers to improving the quality of experiences, extending the length of stay, increasing visitor spending, and encouraging tourists to return.”
The city leader also reaffirmed the local government’s commitment to continued cooperation with the business community, strengthening air connectivity, expanding international markets, accelerating digital transformation, and promoting regional linkages, thereby laying the foundation for the sustainable development of Da Nang’s tourism industry.
Speaking at the Da Nang International Tourism Festival 2026 (DITF 2026), Ms. Cao Thi Ngoc Lan, Standing Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, commended the efforts of the Da Nang Tourism Association in developing DITF into a professional tourism promotion and business networking platform that connects Vietnamese enterprises with international markets. She particularly emphasized the need for a shift in tourism development thinking, moving beyond reliance on existing tourism resources towards enhancing visitor experiences, strengthening value chain linkages, and generating tangible business results.
She stated: “Amid increasingly intense competition, existing tourism resources are only a necessary condition; what truly enables destinations and businesses to enhance their competitiveness is their ability to connect with markets, develop comprehensive product packages, and create distinctive experiences.”
Addressing the key priorities following the event, she affirmed: “Connections established at DITF 2026 must go beyond initial networking and progress towards cooperation agreements, commercial contracts, and concrete commitments to bring visitors.”
According to Ms. Lan, achieving this objective requires businesses to move from providing individual services towards collaboration across integrated value chains, developing distinctive, high-quality tourism products, and strengthening linkages between Da Nang and other localities across Central Vietnam and the country, guided by the principle of “Developing markets together, sharing visitor sources, and jointly creating greater value.” In this way, DITF 2026 is expected not only to establish new business relationships but also to become a driving force in transforming destination potential into long-term cooperation opportunities and economic value.
Sharing his perspective on the festival’s development direction, Mr. Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association, emphasized DITF’s role in establishing an ongoing networking platform between Vietnamese tourism businesses and international partners.
“We expect DITF to be more than a place where businesses meet, introduce their products, or promote destinations. More importantly, we want to create connections that can be transformed into genuine cooperation opportunities and tangible business value.
In an ever-changing tourism market, businesses need to be more proactive in understanding the demands of individual markets, improving product quality, and developing competitive experiences. Achieving this requires close connections among destinations, service providers, distributors, and international partners.
Through DITF 2026, the Da Nang Tourism Association aims to work alongside the business community to expand cooperation networks, strengthen market linkages, and make meaningful contributions to the development of tourism in Da Nang and Vietnam as a whole.”
From the local government’s commitment to supporting businesses, to the tourism industry’s vision for stronger partnerships and the Da Nang Tourism Association’s organizational objectives, DITF 2026 demonstrates a concerted effort to move tourism promotion beyond conventional destination marketing towards establishing an interconnected and sustainable business networking ecosystem. This approach is expected to expand market access and create long-term cooperation value for Vietnam’s tourism enterprises.
OVER 300 BUSINESSES AND 550 BUYERS: EXPANDING THE BUSINESS NETWORKING ECOSYSTEM
With more than 300 service suppliers and a total of 550 domestic and international buyers, DITF 2026 provided a concentrated meeting space connecting multiple segments of the tourism ecosystem. Participating suppliers represented a diverse range of sectors, including accommodation, resorts, travel services, airlines, MICE, golf, tourist attractions, food and beverage, wellness, and supporting services.
This diversity enabled businesses to explore cooperation opportunities extending beyond individual services. A leisure travel programme may require collaboration among hotels, transportation providers, and experience operators, while a MICE group requires coordination among event venues, accommodation providers, catering services, and supporting activities. Bringing these service categories together creates opportunities for businesses to develop integrated product packages tailored to the needs of different customer segments.
The international buyer network at DITF 2026 was established through tourism associations across multiple markets, including South Korea, Japan, China, Russia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Singapore. Direct meetings helped Vietnamese enterprises gain a clearer understanding of customer preferences, service standards, distribution potential, and the conditions required to introduce tourism products in each market.
For buyers, the event offered an opportunity to engage with multiple suppliers in one location, making it easier to explore, compare, and evaluate potential partnerships. For sellers, it provided a platform to introduce their offerings to partners capable of incorporating their services into tour programmes, distribution systems, or business plans in target markets.
TARGETED CONNECTIONS, PURPOSE-DRIVEN BUSINESS MATCHING
A notable feature of DITF 2026 was the integration of a digital platform to facilitate business matching before the event. Through the DITF 2026 Website & B2B Platform, buyers and sellers were able to review company profiles, identify suitable partners, send meeting invitations, and schedule appointments ahead of their in-person discussions.
This advance preparation helped ensure that meetings focused more closely on market demand, service capabilities, product development opportunities, and potential cooperation arrangements. Rather than being limited to introductory exchanges, businesses could proactively discuss specific matters, ranging from pricing policies and customer segments to the feasibility of developing programmes suited to particular markets.
The more than 7,000 B2B business matching meetings recorded during the festival marked a significant milestone in the scale of this year’s business networking activities. However, the true value of these connections also lies in their potential to continue beyond the event, from information exchanges and quotations to product inspections, programme development, and partnership negotiations. This subsequent stage will be decisive in determining whether initial meetings develop into lasting commercial relationships.
MOU SIGNINGS: FROM BUSINESS CONNECTIONS TO LONG-TERM COOPERATION OPPORTUNITIES
Among the notable highlights of the Da Nang International Tourism Festival 2026 (DITF 2026) was the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), marking a step forward in expanding relationships between Vietnamese tourism organizations and enterprises and their international partner networks.
While B2B business matching sessions created opportunities for businesses to meet, exchange information on their needs, and identify potential partners, the MOUs represented a further step towards turning these discussions into more concrete cooperation initiatives. By establishing shared directions for collaboration, participating parties gained a stronger foundation for product development, connecting visitor markets, expanding distribution channels, and accessing new markets.
In particular, as the tourism industry increasingly emphasizes the quality of visitor experiences and the ability to deliver coordinated services, these international cooperation agreements also create prospects for developing integrated tourism product chains, ranging from leisure travel, culture, and heritage experiences to meetings, conferences, and events (MICE). This presents opportunities for Da Nang businesses to become more deeply integrated into international tourism business networks while showcasing the destination’s capabilities and advantages to partners with the potential to bring visitors in the future.
Nevertheless, the value of an MOU is not measured solely by the signing ceremony itself, but more importantly by the ability to translate initial commitments into tangible outcomes. Maintaining communication, developing joint promotional plans, organizing destination familiarization trips, and gradually establishing commercial contracts will ultimately determine the long-term effectiveness of these partnerships.
As DITF moves towards becoming an annual international tourism promotion and business networking platform, the MOUs are expected to foster lasting connections, ensuring that cooperation opportunities do not end when the event concludes but continue to be nurtured, developed, and transformed into new visitor flows, tourism products, and economic value for Da Nang’s tourism industry.
DA NANG AIMS TO BECOME A TOURISM BUSINESS NETWORKING HUB
For Da Nang, DITF 2026 presented an opportunity to showcase the destination’s service capabilities while strengthening connections with businesses and markets beyond the city. Da Nang offers a diverse tourism ecosystem, encompassing beach tourism, leisure travel, culture, heritage, MICE, and specialized experiences.
As local enterprises gain more opportunities to engage with buyers, these tourism offerings can be incorporated into programmes tailored to the requirements of individual markets. Such discussions also provide opportunities to develop integrated itineraries connecting Da Nang with Hoi An, Hue, and neighbouring destinations, combining different types of experiences to offer visitors a broader range of choices.
At the same time, the participation of businesses from multiple provinces and cities allows DITF to expand its role beyond the promotion of a single destination. Da Nang is well positioned to become a meeting point where international partners can access Vietnam’s diverse tourism supply, engage with businesses across various sectors, and explore opportunities for interregional cooperation.
As the host venue, Ariyana Convention Centre Danang provided the setting for business networking activities and direct meetings among participating enterprises. The event also highlighted the role of convention infrastructure in facilitating trade promotion, industry networking, and the development of international partnerships.
TOWARDS AN ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESS NETWORKING PLATFORM
In line with the Da Nang Tourism Association’s development direction, DITF aims to become more than a promotional event dedicated solely to the city. It seeks to establish an annual platform where destinations, tourism businesses, distribution partners, and international markets can meet, introduce their products, and expand commercial cooperation.
The participation of more than 300 suppliers, 150 international buyers, and 400 domestic buyers, together with over 7,000 business matching meetings at DITF 2026, represents an important milestone in advancing this vision. Nevertheless, the platform’s long-term value will continue to be demonstrated through its ability to maintain partner networks, facilitate post-event exchanges, and develop cooperation programmes that can be implemented in practice.
As Vietnamese enterprises gain greater access to source markets and international buyers have opportunities to assess Vietnam’s service capabilities firsthand, tourism promotion can move closer to achieving its objectives of market development and sustainable business value creation.
Under the theme “Connecting Partners, Creating Future,” DITF 2026 placed emphasis on purposeful connections with the potential to continue beyond the event. The more than 7,000 business matching meetings recorded this year represent a significant milestone, while the partnerships, tourism products, and business programmes developed in the coming period will constitute the next steps towards turning that vision into reality.
Event Information: The Da Nang International Tourism Festival 2026 (DITF 2026) takes place from October 16–19, 2026, with the main activities held on October 17–18 at Ariyana Convention Centre Danang. Organizer: Da Nang Tourism Association.
DANANG TOURISM PROMOTION CENTER
