Members of travel agencies from Đà Nẵng, Quảng Nam and Thừa Thiên Huế join a tourism promotion programme to introduce tourism products to the Taiwanese market. The central region drew 45 per cent of all Taiwanese visitors to Việt Nam in the first six month of 2024. — Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng City's Tourism Promotion Centre

CENTRAL REGION — Two central provinces of Thừa Thiên-Huế and Quảng Nam, in co-operation with the central city of Đà Nẵng organised a tourism promotion programme – Amazing Central Việt Nam Heritage – in Taiwan in an effort to boost tour services between Taiwan and central region.

The programme focused in offering favourite marketable tourism products – beach vacations, golf, MICE, cuisine, shopping, spa and wedding events – to Taiwanese visitors.

The central region is well known to international travellers with world heritage destinations including Hội An ancient town, Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary in Quảng Nam, Huế Monuments Complex, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park and Sơn Đoòng Cave in Quảng Bình Province.

A report from Việt Nam economic-culture office in Taipei, Taiwan, showed that the central region attracted 45 per cent of the total Taiwanese tourists (530,000) visiting Việt Nam in the first half of 2024.

The beach of Đà Nẵng is a favourite choice for Taiwanese and Korean tourists visiting Đà Nẵng, Quảng Nam and Thừa Thiên-Huế. — Photo courtesy of Minh Huy

Taiwanese travellers accounted for 10 per cent of total international visitors (two million) in the first six months of 2024.

A chef cooks seafood on a coracle on the beach of Đà Nẵng. Pristine white sand beaches in central Việt Nam lure visitors from Taiwan and Korea. — Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng City's Tourism Promotion Centre

Starlux Airlines, an international airline from Taiwan, is operating ten flights weekly from Đà Nẵng, including a daily flight to Taipei and three weekly flights to Taichung, carrying around 9,000 passengers to Đà Nẵng each week. It is one of five airlines currently flying Đà Nẵng-Taiwan route.

A farm trip was also held by Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) Việt Nam Office to encourage tour links from Việt Nam to Taiwan and Okinawa, Japan.

A model in Áo Dài (traditional long dress) fashion walks through an old gate in Huế Monument Complex -- an UNESCO-recognised world heritage site. — Photo courtesy of Thừa Thiên-Huế Province's Culture, Sports and Tourism Department

By return, Taiwan and Japan have become two favourite options for Vietnamese travellers in recent years and another tourism promotion programme was also organised in Busan, Korea.

A Chăm tower is preserved in the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary. Quảng Nam Province has two World Heritage sites – Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and Hội An ancient town. — VNS Photo Công Thành

The city’s tourism promotion centre said 822,000 Korean tourists had booked room service in Đà Nẵng in the first six months of 2024, while number of daily flights from Busan to Đà Nẵng accounted for 20 per cent of the total flights from Korea to Đà Nẵng (28 flights) each day. Busan also welcomed 80,000 Vietnamese visitors in 2023.

The famous Japanese Bridge in Hội An ancient town. — VNS Photo Công Thành

The central city welcomes 496 international flights a week, with 35 international air routes. — VNS