The central city of Da Nang welcomed 328,810 visitors during the nine-day Lunar New Year (Tet holiday) festival 2019 (February 2-10), a year-on-year increase of 10.7 per cent according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

The number of international visitors to Da Nang reached more than 158,000, up 19.9 per cent compared to the same period last year.

This is peak tourism season for visitors from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Europe and America, and for Vietnamese expats, said deputy director of the city’s Tourism Department Truong Thi Hong Hanh.

The 2019 Lunar New Year saw a number of new direct international flight routes to Da Nang put into operation such as flights from Seoul (Vietjet Air), Busan (Korean Air), Daegu (Vietjet, Jeju Air), Osaka (Vietnam Airlines), Bangkok (Thai Vietjet Air) and Doha (Qatar Airways), helping to increase the number of international visitors.

In addition, from January 31, national carrier Vietnam Airlines launched its Da Nang to Can Tho flight with a frequency of seven flights per week, attracting more tourists from southern provinces to visit Da Nang and vice versa.

Da Nang’s attractive sites during the Tet holiday included the Cham sculpture museum, Ba Na Hills, Da Nang Museum, Than Tai mineral water park, Sun World Da Nang and Son Tra - Linh Ung pagoda.

Da Nang has become a destination for both domestic and foreign tourists thanks to its location near world cultural heritage sites, diverse tourism products and a port system that can serve international cruise ships.

The city aims to welcome 8.19 million visitors throughout 2019, 6.9 per cent more than in 2018. — VNS