Khanh Hoa Province and Danang City, which are both attractive to Chinese tourists, are forecast to receive a large number of tourists from the neighboring country next year, administrators and tour operators said.

Foreign tourists at a resort in Khanh Hoa Province 

According to the Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism, more than 1.11 million Chinese tourists visited this south-central province in January-November, posting a record growth rate of 130% against the same period last year.

Many travel firms said they are waiting for the new international terminal at Cam Ranh Airport in the province to be put into service so that they can operate more chartered flights. This airport is being overloaded, so many flights from China must be operated at night.

Nguyen Van Thanh, vice chairman of the Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Tourism Association, said the Chinese market has grown steadily in recent years. He referred to the forecast of some enterprises, saying the number of Chinese tourists may increase to almost two million next year if the new terminal is operational on time.

As for the central city of Danang, China is the second biggest market after South Korea. There are currently 15 air routes between China and Danang with up to 100 flights a week, mostly chartered flights.

Danang has welcomed around 700,000 visitors from China this year and may see more next year.

Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Danang Department of Tourism, said Chinese tourists may flock to his city next year as a result of APEC Vietnam 2017 taking place there last month. After such a successful event, many firms have come to explore tourism services.

“Chinese tourists in Danang will surge next year. The increase may be approximately 200,000,” Cuong said.

This year, Danang has catered to over 2.3 million international arrivals, a 36.8% rise against last year. Two-thirds of these, equivalent to nearly 1.7 million arrivals, come from South Korea and China.

Data of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism showed that China remained the biggest visitor-generating market for Vietnam’s tourism in January-November with more than 3.59 million arrivals, up 44.9% year-on-year.

SGT