Danang hopes festival will bring more visitors

The central beach city of Danang will hold several water sports and events for a tourism festival from June 19 to 27. The “Danang Tourism – a Summer Destination for 2010” event will feature waterskiing and aerobics performances, a swimming contest, a boat race, and a bartending contest among others.
The local tourism authority will offer including scuba diving, fishing trips with fishermen, and short trips to explore Son Tra Peninsula, a lush tropical getaway, Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon Online (Saigon Economic Times Online) reported.
Nguyen Duy Quang, deputy director of the Danang Tourism Promotion Center, said the city spends VND1 billion (US$ 52,728) every year to host the event.
Last year’s event resulted in a 30 percent increase in the number of visitors during the summer holidays, he said.
The city has teamed up with the neighboring provinces of Quang Nam and Thua Thien – Hue to promote festivals and summer activities in the three localities through September, he added.
Danang, the major city in central Vietnam, is expected to welcome 880,000 local and foreign visitors in the first half of this year, up 38 percent year on year, according to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Revenue from tourism is expected to top VND572 billion ($30.16 million), 66 percent up from the same period last year.