According to statistics released by the city’s travel agencies, the number of domestic visitors over the weekend is likely to rise by between 20% and 30% compared with normal days , the Da Nang Today newspaper said on March 7.

In Da Nang, the Son Tra Peninsula, the Marble Mountains, the Linh Ung Pagoda, and the Museum of Cham Sculpture have become the city's most popular tourist attractions for foreign visitors.

In an attempt to encourage more visitors to stay longer in the city, many local hotels and eco-tourism areas, including the Ba Na Hills Resort, the Hoa Phu Thanh Resort, and the Son Tra Peninsula, are offering many attractive promotional programmes.

Da Nang’s tourism sector maintained stable growth last year, welcoming over 743,000 foreign tourists. Of the figure, 264,200 came through direct air routes, up 80 percent from the previous year, thanks to the presence of 16 air routes linking the city with foreign destinations.

The number of domestic holidaymakers exceeded 2.3 million, up 17 percent.

This year, the city plans to promote its tourism image in key foreign markets, including China, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Russia and Japan, while luring holidaymakers from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Can Tho and Hai Phong.

Furthermore, it will accelerate the establishment of the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Fund and increase regular flights from China, Thailand, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Russia to the city.

Da Nang is emerging as an attractive destination for Japanese tourists thanks to its healthy environment, friendly residents, and the many similarities in cultural values.

Japan ranked third among Da Nang’s tourism markets, after China and the Republic of Korea.

Thanks to effective tourism promotion strategies, the number of Japanese tourist arrivals to the city last year increased by 53 percent year-on-year to 41,000.