Da Nang tourism sees 30-40 per cent seasonal increase

The number of domestic tourists visiting the central city of Da Nang this summer increased by 30-40 per cent, estimates Vietnam Airlines, with a resulting shortage of both airline tickets and hotel rooms. Le Ngoc Vinh, managing director of Son Tra Resort & Villas, spoke to Viet Nam News reporter Nguyen Ngoc Duy about the city’s efforts to deal with the influx.

What does the substantial rise in tourism mean for the city of Da Nang?

This is a good sign for the tourism industry in Viet Nam generally, as well as for Da Nang, as the number of foreign tourists often declines significantly in the summer. The sharp increase in the number of tourists means opportunities for hotels and services in other tourist areas to complete. But Da Nang was not well-prepared for the sudden increase, so transportation, tour guides and other services were not up to snuff in terms of quality.

Almost all hotels reached full occupancy and it was hard to buy an air ticket to the city during the summer. Has the city exceeded its capacity to meet tourist demand?

These are truly difficulties that tourism managers should be better prepared for. Many tourists had to find train or coach transportation to Da Nang due to the lack of airline tickets, while others had to lengthen their stay in the city to wait for a flight out.

What about the capacity of resorts here?

Resorts here are mostly high-end and have no difficulties serving the number of tourists that are seeking accommodations at that level. But with such sudden increases, staff at resorts were asked to increase their working hours to meet demand.

The domestic tourism season is nearing its end. Will there be redundancy of hotel rooms and other services in the next few months?

It’s likely that the redundancy will occur. That’s a specific characteristic of the tourism industry. In the central region particularly, October and November are months of heavy rains, and there will be almost no foreign tourists during these months.

Da Nang has targeted 1.5 million visitors this year, with a total turnover from tourism of about VND1 trillion (US$54.1 million). These are quite optimistic targets. What units involved in tourism, and the Son Tra Resort, doing to help the industry reach these goals?

I think the turnover target of VND1 trillion is absolutely reachable. In order to achieve it, tourism units should build promotion programmes together to make Da Nang a more attractive destination, under the general guidance of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In addition, we should carefully study the demand of tourists who visit Da Nang to create products and services that will meet their expectations, while best exploiting the services we provide. Assuring professional and quality services is an important thing that needs our special attention. — VNS

Tags: Da Nang tourism, Vietnam Tourism