With India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) - TTG Asia

ASEAN BEACHES
Vietnam
Danang centre stage
Danang has stepped into the tourism limelight as a much
sought-after destination for both holidaymakers and investors.
The resort’s pristine beaches and the trio of UNESCO
World Heritage Sites just a daytrip away – the former imperial
capital of Hue, the ancient ‘Silk Road’ trading port
of Hoi An and the Hindu temple complex and former
spiritual centre of the Champa civilisation at My Son –
have made Danang an attractive proposition for both.
The destination’s department of culture, sports and
tourism said that as of October 2011, there were 278 hotels
and resorts offering 9,185 rooms – more than 3,000
of which were new additions.
Among these new properties, eight were five-star establishments
with 1,835 rooms, twice as many
as in 2010. New properties in other categories
included three four-star hotels, 29
three-star and 238 others, offering 496,
1,657, and 5,179 rooms respectively.
As TTG Asia ITB Daily went to
press, many projects were coming online
– five five-star hotels with 1,235
rooms, two four-stars with 296 rooms
and 15 three-stars with 872 rooms, according
to the municipal tourism promotion
agency. The department expects another
39 projects with 1,100 rooms to be added in 2012.
By the end of 2011’s third quarter, the number of visitors
staying in Danang’s hotels had reached more than 1.2
million, a year-on-year increase of 54 per cent on 2010.
The number of international and local visitors had increased
by 68 per cent and 51 per cent respectively.
In the first three quarters of 2011, total visitor num-
bers neared two million, up 33 per cent on
the same period in 2010.
Danang is currently the second-most popular
destination for domestic tourists.
A report from property consultants CBRE
noted 55 ongoing tourism projects with total
capital investment of approximately US$3
billion.
The past two years have seen the completion
of many luxurious projects along
the coastline with names such as Hyatt, The
Nam Hai, Accor, InterContinental and Fusion
Maia entering the market.
MARCH 9, 2012 • TTG SHOW DAILY ITB BERLIN 5
Marco van Aggele, CEO at Serenity Holding, the developer
behind Fusion Maia Danang, said: “Danang is
already oversupplied and it is harder to enter the market.
In order to survive the competition you have to
provide a whole new level of values to a new generation
of travellers. But it surely is a very exciting time.”
Aggele also reported an increasing interest in luxury
holidays from the domestic market. A Vietnamese
middle class has emerged rapidly and
now wants to holiday in high-end resorts.
Fusion Maia Danang had received unexpectedly
high numbers of local holidaymakers,
he said. – Chi Mai
Courtesy of Nam Hai Danang, Vietnam