(TITC) - On 18th October 2022, at Da Nang International Airport, took place the Launching ceremony of new flight routes of Da Nang (Vietnam) - New Delhi (India) and Da Nang (Vietnam) - Mumbai (India), operated by Vietjet Air. Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Chairman of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), leaders of the Da Nang City People's Committee, departments, units, branches and airport authorities attended the event.
The flights from Mumbai and New Delhi operated by Vietjet Air landed in Da Nang in 2 days, 18th and 19th October and were welcomed with a street parade to promote the flights and destinations.
Flight number VJ984 departed from Mumbai at 11.30pm on 17th October and landed in Da Nang at 6.10 am on 18th October. At the same time frame, flight number VJ830 departed from New Delhi on 18th October and landed in Da Nang at 05.40 am the next day. These are the first two flights that nail the remarkable milestone of the Da Nang-India connection.
VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh speaking at the ceremony (Photo: Da Nang City Department of Tourism)
Giving a remark at the Launching ceremony, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh said, the strengthening of flight routes between Vietnam and India makes an important contribution to the economic and cultural trade connection between the two countries, especially tourism development.
India is a potential tourism market of Vietnam, with the total number of exchange visitors before Covid-19 reached 319,000 visitor arrivals in 2019, in which, Indian visitors to Vietnam were 169,000 visitor arrivals. The growth rate of this market was precisely high (+27.7%), the third highest among the tourist markets of Vietnam tourism, especially in the last 3 months of the year. Popular destinations chosen by the Indian visitors include Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, etc.
Post the pandemic, the demand for international travel of Indian people increases dramatically and Vietnam is one of the markets receiving major attention. India stands top 10 original countries with the highest search volume for Vietnam from the beginning of 2022 till now, in which, the number of search volumes for air in April 2022 increased 400% compared to the same period of 2021 and increased 3,000% in May 2022. It is considered as a golden opportunity for Vietnam to emerge this potential market.
Launching ceremony of Da Nang - India flights (Photo: Da Nang City Department of Tourism)
The operation of a new flight routes connecting Da Nang to New Delhi and Mumbai will open up more opportunities, promote economic trade, business investment and tourism between Da Nang and major cities of India, towards the goal that by 2030, Da Nang will become a centre of high-quality tourism and services, an innovative destination of Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
In order to effectively develop the potential of the direct flights between Vietnam and India, contributing to the restoration and development of international tourism activities in the context of the new normal, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh requested Da Nang City and other localities to enhance investments for destination promotional activities; build up suitable tourism products that meet Indian visitors’ needs. Especially in terms of cuisine and culture, it is necessary to study carefully about spending habits, living habits, eating and shopping needs, including service issues at hotels and cuisine for Indian visitors. Besides, it is vital to have a close coordination among airlines, associations, businesses, representative agencies and related ministries and sectors, giving priority to product development, tourist destinations and products to Indian tourists.
Mr. Tran Phuoc Son, Vice Chairman of Da Nang City People’s Committee speaking at the event (Photo: Da Nang City Department of Tourism)
According to Mr. Tran Phuoc Son, Vice Chairman of Da Nang City People’s Committee, the launching of two direct flight routes from Da Nang to India hold an important meaning in increasing the number of international visitors to Da Nang. With the population of 1.4 billion people, India is no doubt a potential market, and is targeted by Southeast Asian countries as one of the leading international tourist markets. Da Nang has organised several tourism promotion activities to approach the markets of Europe, Korea, Singapore, India, Japan and restore international flight routes.
Using A320 Airbus, the Mumbai - Da Nang route is operated by Vietjet Air with a frequency of 03 flights/week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; the New Delhi - Da Nang route with a frequency of 04 flights/week on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Following these 2 direct flights, Vietjet Air is planning to operate a direct flight to Ahmedabad (India), expected in December 2022 to connect diverse markets of tourists from major cities of India.
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