Tourism authorities in Quang Nam Province and the cities of Hue and Da Nang in central Vietnam have joined in a seminar in Da Nang to discuss how to attract more visitors from Muslim countries, a potential market for local travel operators.

The seminar was conducted at Furama Resort Da Nang on Saturday by Quang Nam-headquartered Indochina Unique Tourist Co. Ltd. in collaboration with some tourism associations, in the context that the number of foreign visitors coming back to central localities has been very low in recent times.

The event was aimed at creating tourism chains with a specific ecology intended for Muslims to attract more of them to central Vietnam, as a measure to improve the tourism picture in the central region, the organizer said. 

The Muslim tourism markets in the world are particularly large and are growing vigorously, Nguyen Son Thuy, director of the company, told the seminar.

Currently, the total population of Muslims in the world amounts to 1.8 billion people, including 255 million people in ASEAN countries, Thuy added.

The early reopening of direct flight routes to link Da Nang and Singapore, Malaysia and India has created favorable conditions for more tourists from Muslim countries to visit the city.

In general, the arrivals of Muslim visitors in Vietnam have been on the rise, but more investment and attention should be made to create more specific tourist products and services for Muslim travelers in major tourist hubs of the country, Thuy suggested.

Travel operators should target more Muslim visitors to make up for the low number of foreign visitors coming back to central localities, Nguyen Xuan Binh, deputy director of the Da Nang Department of Tourism, suggested.

Marina Muhamad, director of the Muslim tourism development center in Vietnam, said that Muslims often come to countries where they can experience activities and services in line with their beliefs.

About 850,000 tourists from Malaysia came to Vietnam in 2018 alone, Ramlan Osman, director of the Halal Food Certification Center in Vietnam, said, adding this proves that Vietnam is a favorite destination for Muslim tourists.

“Vietnam is home to many items suitable for Muslims such as coffee, rice, seafood, nuts, vegetables, and fruits, among other,” Osman stated.

In order to have good access to such visitors, the most important thing is to increase the understanding of Muslims among those engaged in tourist operations in the central region and to provide Muslim travelers with suitable specific products and services, the director said.

“Five years ago, when I went to Ho Chi Minh City, there were about 10 restaurants for Muslims there, while in Da Nang, there were about five. Currently, the figures may increase but are still limited,” he said.

Wherever Muslim travelers go, what they care most about are still food and cuisine, Osman stressed, pointing out that the abundance of seafood in Vietnam is a great advantage to lure Muslims.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!