ĐÀ NẴNG — Đà Nẵng’s tourism department plans to open representative offices in China and Europe to promote investment, trade and tourism cooperation with East Asia and European markets in the coming years.

Vice director of the department, Nguyễn Xuân Bình said it has been seeking liason representatives before completing procedures to launch the offices soon.

Bình said the offices would help promote and introduce destinations in Đà Nẵng and central Việt Nam to foreign tourists.

He said the city has drawn 4 million tourists, in which 1.6 million were foreigners, in the first half this year, marking a growth of 29.4 per cent.

Bình said Chinese and South Korean tourists were among top foreign travellers to Đà Nẵng and central Việt Nam.  

Đà Nẵng has a representative office in Tokyo, Japan, to build links among Japanese and Vietnamese enterprises and smoothen the way for investors and tourists.

"The opening of the city’s liaison office abroad will create a link between domestic and foreign travel agencies, as well as boost the city’s tourism promotion and information on popular destinations for foreign travellers," Bình said.

In the first six months of this year, Đà Nẵng also lured US$127 million in foreign direct investment.   

The city also plans to open representative offices in South Korea, as well as Yokohama in Japan. Đà Nẵng has built relationships with other Japanese provinces and cities including Kawasaki, Mitsuke, Sakai, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Okayama and Kansai.

Last year, 2.3 million foreign tourists visited the city and destinations in central Việt Nam.

To date, Russia, Laos, Spain and China have already opened Consulate Offices in the city, while Japan and Korea plan to open Consulate Offices soon. — VNS