Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Truong ThiHong Hanh said that since the Government fully reopened domestic andinternational tourism on March 15, Da Nang has focused on promotion andcommunication activities to resume international flights and markets, in which India will be an important market during the post-pandemic recovery period.
Experts said India's positive open-door policy and the great travel demand of its people can help Vietnam make up for the number of visitors from the traditional Northeast Asian markets, which have not yet reopened fully after the pandemic.
Da Nang has organised programmes to introduce itsattractive destinations in India, and welcoming delegations from the country tosurvey tourism products and services in the city.
The Middle Eastern region, especially nine nationsin the project on "Developing relations between Vietnam and countries in the MiddleEast - Africa for the 2016 – 2025 period", is also one of the strategic markets in tourism cooperation and development of Vietnamin general and Da Nang in particular, according to Hanh.
She said to attract more holiday-makers from India and the MiddleEast, the municipal Department of Tourism has worked with the city’s Tourism Association,Tourism Development Promotion Fund, tourist sites, travel agents, and airlinesto build attractive product packages.
The city will continue developing products especially designed for thesemarkets, especially high-class ones, including wedding and resort tourismproducts that suit the needs and taste of Indian and Middle Easterntourists.
According to Tran Duc Hung, Vietnamese Ambassador to Qatar, touristsfrom the Middle East and India prefer to go to private beach resorts andcombine traveling with looking for commercial and investment opportunities, andtherefore prefer not to travel in tour groups.
Hanh said that Vietjet Air’s opening of the twofirst direct air routes linking Da Nang to India’s largest and most importantcities of Mumbai and New Delhi in October will create favourable conditions for both sidesto boost tourism.
In addition, the city plans to send delegations to MiddleEastern countries to introduce its tourism, and work with the Qatar side tosoon resume the Doha – Da Nang air route, she added.
Vietjet Air has also announced that theairline will operate three new routes to Da Nang from India’s Bengaluru,Hyderabad and Ahmedabad on November 28, November 29 and December 1,respectively.
Deputy General Director of the Vietnam NationalAdministration of Tourism (VNAT) Ha Van Sieu said that India and the MiddleEast are considered potential markets that need to be prioritised in theVietnam Tourism Development Strategy by 2030.
Statistics from Google Trends showed that the number ofsearches about Vietnam from the Indian market has been increasing. Thisreflects the demand from India, which has a population of more than 1.3 billionand will become the most populous country in the world by 2023 with more than1.4 billion people.
By the year-end, there will be 21 direct air routes, withover 60 flights per week, connecting Vietnam with India.
There are also direct flights linking Vietnam’s major citiessuch as Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City with the capitals of Middle Eastcountries.
The central city of Da Nang has witnessed a strongpost-pandemic rebound across various fields, especially in tourism andinvestment.
According to the municipal Department of Statistics, totalrevenue from accommodation and catering services in the city in the first eightmonths of 2022 reached an estimated 11.85 trillion VND (503.7 million USD), up56.1 percent year-on-year.
Da Nang welcomed nearly 2.4 million visitors in the period,including 221,000 foreigners, up 125.7% and 144.9%, respectively, compared tothe same period last year. It raked inover 1.2 trillion VND from tourism activities, up 483.9% year-on-year./.