Vietnam Tourism: Quang Ninh receives 7.5 million visitors during festival time

Monday, May 13, 2019

Cultural and traditional festivals often play a pivotal role in making tourism destinations more appealing in the eyes of tourists. Thus help the destinations flash on the world travel map. Vietnam is receiving more international tourists from Japan and Europe when the festivals mark.

There’s no denying the abundance of natural beauty throughout Vietnam: Halong Bay is truly one of the world’s natural wonders. But the Halong Carnival showcased how an innovative and exciting cultural event can add even more appeal to a destination, attracting many more visitors.

The industry observers believe the event contributed greatly to the impressive growth Quang Ninh tourism achieved in the first half of 2018, when the coastal province received 7.5 million visitors, an increase of 26 percent year-on-year, and generated tourism revenues of over VND12 trillion ($513 million), up 31 percent.

Vietnam tourism is flourishing with every year and with that the international visitors’ arrival is in rise. According to the Japan Tourism Agency in Vietnam, the number of Vietnamese travelling to Japan has increased six-fold in the last five years, from 55,000 in 2012 to 308,900 in 2017, representing 41.4 percent annual growth. In the first three months of last year 86,300 Vietnamese visited Japan, which was higher than the number of visitors from European markets such as Britain and France.

Numerous festivals are held through the year all over Japan. During the Lunar New Year, tourists visiting Japan will experience O-Shogatsu (New Year Celebrations) and get the chance to eat toshikoshi soba (longevity noodles). Between the end of March and early May, the Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) festival attracts millions of visitors from all over the world. Besides national events such as Tanabata (Star Festival) and Obon, Japan also has thousands of local celebrations each year of summer festivals, autumn festivals and agricultural festivals, all of which are accessible and inviting to visitors, who can savor the festive atmosphere, sample traditional foods, play traditional games, and watch cultural performances.

Buoyed by the success, Sun Group and Quang Ninh authorities organised Carnival Halong to once again coincide with Reunification Day (April 30) and Labor Day (May 1), which this year meant a five-day holiday. During this period Quang Ninh welcomed 600,000 tourists, an increase of 18 percent compared to the same period last year. For the second year running the Carnival Halong parade exploded with energy on the streets along Bai Chay Beach.

As the economic and tourism hub of central Vietnam, Da Nang has greatly benefited from the hugely successful fireworks festival, which was first held as a two-night fireworks contest in 2008. Over subsequent years it has grown into a much longer event, helping make the city a more vibrant, dynamic destination for visitors, and has been organized by Sun Group since 2017.

Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the city Department of Tourism, said that during the two months the 2018 Danang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) was celebrated the number of tourist arrivals reached 1.5 million, an increase of 25.5 percent year-on-year. Because of the considerable increase in the number of tourists, lodging occupancy rates were 70-90 percent though the number of rooms increased by 7,355 from the same period in 2017.

The long-term success of DIFF, now in its second decade, and the recent splash made by the Halong Carnival show how Vietnam can prosper from well-developed cultural festivals. To develop these festivals requires a shared vision on the part of all stakeholders and large strategic investments.

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