The central city of Da Nang has focused on recovering the pandemic-hit tourism to continue boosting the sector’s sustainable development, focusing on high-end services in association with resort real estate.

Golden Bridge - one of major tourist attractions in Da Nang

According to the municipal People’s Committee, the city has drawn out two scenarios for tourism development in the 2021-2025 period.

In the first with optimistic vision, COVID-19 will be controlled in the city and Vietnam in late 2020 and the vaccine against COVID-19 is provided to the market in the third quarter of 2021, the city will launch a domestic tourism stimulation programme with the connection with other localities from 2021. In this scenario, the city expects a total number of visitors equivalent to 60%-70% of that in 2019, with the domestic tourists recovering by 90% and foreign visitors 30%.

In 2022, after the re-opening of international air routes, the total number of visitors is hoped to reach about 8.7 million, equal to that in 2019.

In 2025, the city aims to receive 12.3 million visitors, up 1.4 times over 2019, including 4.2 million foreigners. The average growth of the sector in the 2020-2025 period is projected to reach 5%-6% each year.

In the year, Da Nang hopes to earn VND61 trillion (US$2.63 billion) from tourism, doubling that in 2019, with growth rate of 12%-12.5% per year. The sector is expected to make up 27% of the gross regional domestic product (GRDP) in 2025. In the year, the city hopes to extend the stay to 2.75 days for domestic visitors and three days for foreigners.

In the second scenario, COVID-19 pandemic is controlled in Da Nang and Vietnam in the end of the first quarter of 2021 and a vaccine is provided in late 2021, tourists remain unconfident to the controlling of the pandemic. Under this, the city only expects the recovery of about 55%-65% compared to 2019 in the number of domestic tourists, and the number of foreign arrivals recovering by only 5%.

International air routes are forecast to re-open for diplomats, experts and workers in the second quarter of 2022 and for all passengers in 2023. The total number of visitors is expected to recover 65%-70% compared to 2019 in 2022 and equivalent to that in 2019 in 2023.

In 2025, the number of visitors to the city is hoped to reach 11.6 million, including 3.9 million foreigners. Total earnings from the sector is estimated at VND54 trillion (US$2.33 billion), making up 23.8% of the city’s GRDP.

Along with the two scenarios, Da Nang will concentrate on designing planning for the sector’s development, focusing on the area along Son Tra-Ngu Hanh Son coast and the west of Son Tra peninsula, while investing more in sea-based, cultural, historical and spiritual tourism.

Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee Le Trung Chinh said that in order to effectively implement the scenarios, the city will conduct twin targets of controlling COVID-19 and recovering tourism activities at the same time.

Meanwhile, the city will complete infrastructure system for tourism development, improving the human resources for the sector, and enhancing State management over the sector, he added.