The central Danang city welcomed four big cruise ships with 1,400 foreign tourists since the beginning of this year, some 2.5 times more than the same period of 2006, signaling a boom in the number of such visitors for the rest of the year.
According to Duong Thi Tho, Head of the Tourism Management Division under the Danang Tourism Department, on January 13 alone the city received two cruise ships at Tien Sa port bringing around 500 foreign travelers. These include the Seaburn Spirit with 200 tourists from France, the US and Spain, and the Costa Allegra with 300 tourists from Hong Kong and China.
Tourists on the cruise ships are led to sightseeing in Danang, the imperial capital city of Hue, and Hoi An ancient town.
The city plans to receive 2,600 additional cruise tourists in the rest of January, announced the department.
The number of ships and tourists to Danang in 2007 will be the biggest ever in the last three years. Saigontourist has been leading in attracting tourists to the sea city in the central region, home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, said Tho.
The growing number of cruise ships has raised room occupancy rates in hotels in Danang City. Furama resort, for example, was 70 per cent occupied in January, up by 20 per cent over the same period the previous year.
However, Tho has pointed out that the biggest problem of Danang tourism is the lack of four and five star hotels capable of receiving high-class guests from Europe. Furama is the only five star resort in the city, while Sandy Beach has just been recognised as a four-star resort, and other hotels are three-star. That explains why foreign tourists from the US and Europe mainly stay in Hue and Hoi An after going to the city.
This year, Danang will see two more four star hotels operational. The Riverside Hotel will be put into operation in February or March, while the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Hotel is expected to open its doors at the end of the year. The appearance of new high-grade hotels is hoped will help improve the accommodation situation in the city.
Danang is now a tourism hub of central Vietnam with a total of more than 2,580 hotel rooms. The local hospitality industry targets two million tourists annually, earning revenues upwards of VND1.5 trillion (US$96.1 million).
It is expected that Danang will receive 53 cruise ships with 21,000 travellers in 2007. (VietNamNet, Vietnam Panorama)
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