Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau (centre, clasping hands) attends the tourism promotion programme hosted by Da Nang. The event provides information on tourist products and services of the central coastal city, especially beach vacation and marriage packages along with MICE (Meeting-Incentive-Conference-Event) tours. It is held as part of preparation for boosting tourism between Vietnam and India in the time ahead. The event is jointly held by the People’s Committee of Vietnam’s central city and Vietjet Air. Nguyen Duc Quynh, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association, said that India will be an important market for many tourist destinations during the post-pandemic recovery period. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau talks to delegates at the event. The ambassador said that the average number of visas for Indians to enter Vietnam has surged after COVID-19, from 250 visas per day before the pandemic to 6,000 at present. According to him, the demand for outbound travel in India is great after two years of travel restrictions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report' titled 'Outbound Travel and Tourism - An Opportunity Untapped' by Nangia Andersen LLP in association with FICCI, outbound trips from India will surpass 42 billion USD by 2024. In 2019, Indians spent 22.9 billion USD in outbound trip. The amount dropped to approximately 12.6 billion USD in 2021 due to COVID-19. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Guests light the candle to open the tourism promotion event. The event is jointly held by the People’s Committee of Vietnam’s central city and Vietnamese budget airline Vietjet Air. It is designed to provide information on tourist products and services of the central coastal city, especially beach vacation and marriage packages along with MICE (Meeting-Incentive-Conference-Event) tours. It is held as part of preparation for boosting tourism between Vietnam and India in the time ahead. India's positive open-door policy and the great travel demand of its people can help Vietnam make up for the number of visitors from the traditional Northeast Asian markets, which have not yet reopened fully after the pandemic. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau delivers congratulatory remarks at the Da Nang tourism promotion event. The diplomat noted that the average number of visas for Indians to enter Vietnam has surged after COVID-19, from 250 visas per day before the pandemic to 6,000 at present. Statistics from Google Trends showed that the number of searches about Vietnam from the Indian market has been increasing. This reflects the demand from India, which has a population of more than 1.3 billion and will become the most populous country in the world by 2023 with more than 1.4 billion people. India is considered one of potential markets that need to be prioritised in the Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy by 2030. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The tourism promotion event of Da Nang attracts the participation of nearly 100 delegates from Indian travel agencies, wedding planers, MICE tour operators and over 30 media and press agencies. Da Nang aims to become one of Asia's leading tourist destinations, and a centre for high-end eco-tourism and international-standard Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism by 2045. The goal has been set in the city’s project on orientations for local tourism development by 2030, with a vision to 2045. The central coastal city has witnessed a strong post-pandemic rebound in tourism. According to the municipal Department of Statistics, Da Nang welcomed 1.88 million visitors in the first seven months of this year, including 127,000 foreigners, up 83% and 44.3%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Nguyen Thi Hoai An, Director of the Tourism Promotion Centre under Da Nang’s Tourism Department, addresses the event. She affirms that the tourism promotion programme in New Delhi is an excellent opportunity for the city to introduce its tourism products and services to the Indian market, along with supporting programmes for Indian MICE tours operators and wedding planners. She expresses a hope that the event will open up a new period in cooperation between tourism sectors of Da Nang and New Delhi for mutual development. Da Nang aims to become one of Asia's leading tourist destinations, and a centre for high-end eco-tourism and international-standard Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism by 2045. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
VietJet’s Commercial Director Jay Lingeswara introduces to Indian partners the budget airline’s direct flight network from major Indian cities to Vietnam, including Da Nang. He said by September this year, VietJet Air would be the airline operating the most routes between Vietnam and India with 17 direct routes. Travellers will be able to take direct flights from the five largest cities in India to Da Nang, from where they can go on to many World Heritage sites in central Vietnam such as the ancient port city of Hoi An, My Son Sanctuary, the Complex of Hue Monuments and Son Doong Cave. Through the wide flight network of Vietjet across Vietnam and Asia-Pacific, travelers can easily fly from Vietnam to other destinations in Asia like Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul, Busan, Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
VietJet’s Commercial Director Jay Lingeswara said Vietjet is also scheduled to launch direct services from Mumbai and New Delhi to Da Nang on October 17 and October 18, respectively. Later on, direct flights operated by Vietjet from Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad to Da Nang will take off on November 28, November 29 and December 1, 2022, respectively. Travellers will be able to take direct flights from the five largest cities in India to Da Nang, which is considered an entrance to four UNESCO-recognised World Heritage sites in the central region. By the year-end, there will be 21 direct air routes, with over 60 flights per week, connecting Vietnam with India. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre (DTPC) and India’s Global Aviation Services Plt Ltd sign a cooperative agreement to promote the destination of Da Nang in India. Prabodh Tipnis, Managing Director of Global Aviation Services Plt Ltd (right) says he believes that the cooperation between his firm and the DTPC, along with the convenient flight connections between Da Nang and Indian cities, will boost the growth in different tourism segments. Statistics from Google Trends showed that the number of searches about Vietnam from the Indian market has been increasing. According to the Vietnamese ambassador to India, the average number of visas for Indians to enter Vietnam has surged after COVID-19, from 250 visas per day before the pandemic to 6,000 at present. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Also in the framework of the tourism promotion programme of Da Nang in India, a cooperation agreement is signed between the Da Nang Tourism Association and the Network of Indian MICE Agents (NIMA). The association will provide consultation to the Indian partner regarding MICE products and service available in Da Nang. The central coastal city aims to become one of Asia's leading tourist destinations, and a centre for high-end eco-tourism and international-standard Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism by 2045. Da Nang hopes to reach the milestone of three million Indian tourists in the next two years. It is focusing on MICE and wedding tourism in this potential market. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Tourism experts say India will be an important market for many tourist destinations during the post-pandemic recovery period. India's positive open-door policy and the great travel demand of its people can help Vietnam make up for the number of visitors from the traditional Northeast Asian markets, which have not yet reopened fully after the pandemic. According to a report' titled 'Outbound Travel and Tourism - An Opportunity Untapped' by Nangia Andersen LLP in association with FICCI, outbound trips from India will surpass 42 billion USD by 2024. In 2019, Indians spent 22.9 billion USD in outbound trip. The amount dropped to approximately 12.6 billion USD in 2021 due to COVID-19. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Business matching activities at the Da Nang tourism promotion programme. Da Nang is paying special attention to intensifying cooperation in tourism development and the post-COVID-19 recovery. The central coastal city has emerged as a destination of leisure, media and spiritual tourism, as well as entertainment and shopping activities, and a venue of conferences. Da Nang targets 3.32 million domestic tourists and 180,000 foreign visitors this year under one scenario and two million and 100,000 under the other. In 2021, the city welcomed 1.17 million domestic tourists last year, down 55.8 percent from 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Together with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang has been listed among the best cities in Southeast Asia in Asia’s Best Awards 2022, recently unveiled by the Travel & Leisure magazine. (Photo: VietnamPlus) VNA
