South Koreans rush to Danang to play golf
South Korea has overtaken China as the largest source market for the tourism sector of the central coast city of Danang as the number of Korean golfers has been sharply rising.
There are 53 weekly flights leaving Korea’s two major cities – Busan and Seoul – for Danang, almost double the same period last year. Korean tourists prefer package tours lasting four days and three nights, or five days and four nights to visit Danang and neighboring Hoi An, an ancient town on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Many of them come for golf as this is a favorite sport of high-income Koreans.
“Danang has four beautiful and high-quality golf courses, which have helped bring Korean visitors to the city. Danang visits by Korean music and movie celebrities has made the city more popular,” said Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Danang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Travel firms in HCMC said some Vietnamese tour operators are offering golf tour programs for customers in South Korea. However, Koreans tend not to buy package tours from local companies.
Cuong noted that while Chinese visitors mainly fly to Vietnam on chartered flights, many Koreans choose scheduled flights operated by Vietnamese and foreign airlines, thus guaranteeing a steady number of visitor arrivals to the city,” he said.
International visitor arrivals to Danang in January-September soared 26% year-on-year to reach 1.3 million, with around 300,000 of them Koreans. However, South Korea is expected to overtake China, becoming the biggest market of the Danang tourism.
The article "South Koreans rush to Danang to play golf" was originally published on https://www.talkvietnam.com/2016/10/business-in-brief-2510/
