Bà Nà Hills Golf Club, which features 18 tour-calibre holes, is the first golf course in Việt Nam to allow night access to golfers. Đà Nẵng City promoted golf and MICE tour service in Korea. — Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng City's Tourism Department

ĐÀ NẴNG — Đà Nẵng's tourism department has boosted key tourism products – the Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, and Exhibitions (MICE) and golf tour service in the Korean market – as more than one million Korean tourists visited the city in the first nine months.

The South Korean market has been seen as leading the number of international tourists to the beach city since 2015, and it will be a potential source for Đà Nẵng’s tourism growth in the low season of the domestic market during the fourth quarter of the year and years to come, said the director of the city’s tourism department Trương Thị Hồng Hạnh.

She said the Korean tourism market is included in the department’s annual tourism promotion plans as it helps boost the industry’s growth.

Representatives from Đà Nẵng City's tourism department join a tourism promotion event in Korea. More than one million Korean tourists visited Đà Nẵng in the first nine months of 2023. — Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng City's Tourism Department

The city hosted 5.8 million tourists, of whom 1.56 million were international visitors, in the first nine months. The Christmas holiday season would help increase the number of tourists from Asia and European markets, she said.

In 2023, Đà Nẵng Golf Resort became a member of Asian Tour Destinations – the Tour's exclusive network of world-class golfing venues. Golfers can have more options playing at various golf courses during their golf trip in central Việt Nam, including BRG Đà Nẵng Golf Club, Bà Nà Hills Golf Club, Vinpearl Golf Nam Hội An, Hoiana Shore Club, and Laguna Golf Lăng Cô, according to the department.

Đà Nẵng was seen as a favourite central golf tour link with Quảng Nam, Quảng Bình, and Thừa Thiên-Huế, which are home to beautiful golf courses designed by Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Collin Montgomerie, and Luke Donald.

Bà Nà Hills Golf Club, which features 18 tour-calibre holes, is the first golf course in Việt Nam to allow night access to golfers, Nguyễn Xuân Bình, deputy director of the department, shared.

The city successfully hosted the BRG Open Golf Championship-Đà Nẵng 2023 and the Đà Nẵng Golf-Tourism Festival last month with the participation of 144 top Asian golfers, including Korean Minhyeok Yang, Hyukchul Shin, and Minwoo Park.

Earlier, it provided a seamless destination for thousands of marathoners and their families at the annual Manulife Đà Nẵng International Marathon and Vinfast Ironman 70.3 Vietnam.

Tourists enjoy a city tour service in Đà Nẵng City. The beach tourism hub sets its sights on attracting tourists from Korea with MICE and golf tour services. — Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng City's Tourism Promotion Centre

Đà Nẵng has served as a strong connection for tour links between Jeju Island, Incheon, Seoul, and UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites such as Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, Huế Monuments Complex, Hội An ancient town, and Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary in central Việt Nam.

Korean airlines, including Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, Air Seoul, and Tway Air, began resuming their air services from Busan, Seoul, Daegu, and Cheong Ju to Đà Nẵng from last year.

The coastal tourism hub has seen the return of South Korean visitors with nine airlines resuming their flights from Incheon, Busan, Daegu, and Muan. Meanwhile, travel agencies and businesses from Đà Nẵng and South Korea held a business-to-business meeting in Seoul last year.

Hana Tour, a South Korean travel agency, said it will host an amateur Hana Tour golf tournament as a new service to attract Korean tourists to relax and play sports during vacations on the pristine beaches and oceanfront golf courses in the city.

Kim Sug Hun from Hana Tour mentioned that Đà Nẵng is regarded as the favourite destination for Korean tourists, owing to its ocean air environment and beautiful golf courses along the beaches. Golf tours will be structured in links with five-star hotels and resorts in Đà Nẵng, Hội An, and Huế.

Chairman of the VGS Group Nguyễn Ngọc Tuấn stated they have been cooperating with the European Tour Group in organising the Legends Tour – featuring renowned golf masters and major winners from the Ryder Cup including Michael Campbell, Ian Woosnam, Thomas Bjorn, Paul McGinley, Sir Nick Faldo, and Colin Montgomerie – in Việt Nam in December, with a Prize Fund amounting to US$1 million.

Linh Ứng Pagoda in the Sơn Trà Nature Reserve is a popular attraction for tourists from Korea. The number of visitors from Korea has seen continuous growth since 2015. —VNS Photo Công Thành

In past years, Đà Nẵng had hosted 12 direct and chartered flights between Korean cities and Đà Nẵng, accommodating 1,500 passengers a week.

South Korea inaugurated its Consulate General in Đà Nẵng in 2020, enhancing tourism and investment between South Korea and central Việt Nam.

The Shilla Hotels & Resorts – a Korean resort chain – launched the five-star Shilla Monogram Đà Nẵng to cater to Korean tourists in Đà Nẵng and Hội An.

To attract more tourists from Asia, the department initiated a promotional programme in New Delhi and Gurugram, India, engaging Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo for the launch of more air routes between Đà Nẵng and India.

A report from the department indicated that 95,000 visitors from India had visited the city, making up 50 per cent of the total number of Indian tourists visiting Việt Nam in the first nine months of 2023.

The department held meetings with Motherson Air Travel, Dream Trip 4U, Luxury Vacations & Holidays, and ATG Holidays to enhance MICE and FIT (foreign independent travel) tour services to Đà Nẵng.

The five-star Furama Resort Đà Nẵng is already primed to host MICE events and weddings for Indian tourists. Meanwhile, the low-cost carrier Vietjet Air reintroduced seven new international routes from Đà Nẵng to Busan and the five major cities in India – New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore – along with Singapore.

The city anticipates hosting three million international visitors in the next two years, with new direct air routes between Đà Nẵng and New Delhi. — VNS