Da Nang remains big draw among holiday travelers

Central Vietnam's prime tourist destination is preparing a series of special events as holiday tourism continues to boom.

The Da Nang Tourism Department said this year’s celebration will include outdoor concerts, a Countdown event and a live TV broadcast called “Music Festival – Welcome 2017”.

The city will also hold firework performances and a flower parade on the evenings of December 31 and January 1.

Dragon Bridge Breathes Fire in Da Nang 2014. Photo: VnExpress

Nearly 10,000 tourists are set to arrive on the Genting Dream and SS Virgo -- luxury cruises operated by Genting Hong Kong and Star Cruises, respectively.

The city is estimated to welcome 138,000 tourists during Christmas and New Year Eve, up 21.1 percent from last year. Foreign arrivals are projected to exceed 75,000, while domestic tourists may number up to 62,000.

Last month, readers of Smart Travel Asia magazine voted Da Nang onto its list of top 10 holiday destinations in Asia for the fourth consecutive year.

The city was also named "2016 Asia’s Leading Festival and Event Destination" by the World Travel Awards, knows as "the Oscars of the travel industry”.

Da Nang is expecting to welcome a total of 5.5 million visitors in 2016 -- a 17.7 percent increase from last year.

Tourism revenues are set to surge by 24.7 percent on-year to VND16 trillion ($711 million).