A conference took place in the central city of Da Nang on March 14 to discuss ways to turn tourism into a pillar industry by 2020, with a focus on luxury cruise tourism. 

Rong bridge in Da Nang 

The city plans to restructure tourism to ensure sustainable development, raise awareness of officials, cadres, workers and travel agencies about the enforcement of Tourism Law 2017, invest in technical infrastructure, promote tourism marketing, improve tourism workforce quality, enhance State management in the field and diversify tourism products. 

General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Van Tuan suggested taking a flexible approach to tourism development, towards turning Da Nang into a leading MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) tourism hub. 

As of September 2017, Da Nang is home to 653 lodging facilities with 25,756 rooms, 313 travel agencies, 3,158 tour guides and 28 international flights to the city. 

The city hopes to welcome 8.9 – 9.35 million tourists by 2020, growth of nearly 14 percent from 2016-2020. Total tourism earnings are hoped to hit 36.4 trillion VND (1.61 billion USD), contributing roughly 25 percent to the local economy.-VNA