Though blessed with white sandy beaches and many sightseeing places of
interest, central Da Nang city’s authorities are making all-out efforts
to turn each visitor into a tourist promoter for the city.
“Friendly smiles” training courses are part of the scheme with the municipal Culture and Sports Department playing host.
The courses are held on a regular basis to impart good communication
skills to local traders, taxi and tri-cycle drivers and street vendors
so as they can indirectly promote Da Nang’s images far and wide
through their small acts.
The courses also target customs and
immigration officers, who play the key role in winning visitors’ smiles
and pleasure when they set foot on the city.
Kiosks offering
free tourism information to visitors have been erected at various
corners of the city, at airport and resorts, in hotels and on beaches.
A Support Center has become operational, assisting visitors in case
they need during their stay in the city.
The local
authorities are working on the launch of new air routes to touristy
destinations like Thailand and Chinese Hong Kong, developing new
tourism products and services, and promoting constant training for the
non-smoking industry’s staff.
Apart from that, the city places
key tasks on speeding up the construction of tourism – driven sites
such as Ba Na-Suoi Mo ecotourism complex, Ngu Hanh Son cultural park,
and continuing with the organisation of internationally-scaled events
of the 2013 Fireworks Show, the 2013 Stone Sculpture Camp and the
Marathon Championship.
With the efforts, the city targets to
attract 3 million tourists in the year, up 12.8 percent compared to the
last year’s figure.
The non-smoking industry will become a
spearhead in the local economy, expecting to post a year-on-year
increase of 8.3 percent in revenues to 6.5 trillion VND (about 309.5
million USD).
Positive signs have shown in the first months of
the year, seeing a 13 percent increase in domestic and foreign arrivals
to the city to over 150,000, according to the department.-VNA