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Why was the organization set up?
Nearly one year ago we started to
bring partners together. A strong initia-
tor on this plan has been John Blanco,
who at that time represented Indochina
Capital with the Nam Hai and Hyatt
Regency properties in Central Vietnam.
For Vietnam, our set up is still new,
but in other countries you see similar
activities. Important for any Destination
Marketing Organisation (DMO) is the
commitment of the members and their
plan of action. We believe here we will
become a sample case of how to create
a new image for a destination as the
Central Coast Vietnam isn’t really on the
map as yet.
How will the CCVDMO work? Does it
have any connection with local au-
thorities or the Vietnam National As-
sociation of Tourism (VNAT), or is it
privately funded?
It is an initiative of a small group
of hotels, however connections with
all authorities of the provinces Hue,
Danang and Quang Nam have been
established and also with VNAT. We
have to be a part of Vietnam’s wider
promotion. We understand that we
have to find a practical base and foun-
dation that can be used to expand
further. One very important aspect for
the initiative is to work together to at-
tract airlines so that they discover this
destination and start direct flights to
Danang. This has been achieved with
Dragon Air with flights from Hong
Kong to Danang three times a week,
starting on March 28. For this flight
the CCVDMO initiated the support of a
PR agency in Hong Kong to do promo-
tion work and help to make Central
Coast Vietnam known. We also cre-
ated a website and other promotion
material to ensure positioning. Beside
this success, we are looking at a direct
connection from Bangkok to Danang
which has huge potential. Other tar-
gets to work on are direct flights from
Australia and special deals for travel
from Europe.
We have started to mobilize tour
operators in Europe that like to be linked
to CCV as partners to help promote this
new destination. We are looking for a
stronger promotion with airlines and
media to find stories that will bring
much more attention to travellers.
Vietnam may be known worldwide,
but the Central Coast is less famous.
What challenges does this bring?
The problem for now is that peo-
ple do not understand the connection
between Hoi An, Hue and Danang. The
challenge is bringing Central Coast Vi-
etnam into the market as a beach
destination that also offers a lot of
cultural attractions as well as inter-
national golf courses and Hoi An for
shopping. If the travel trade is willing
to look for new alternatives to Bali and
Thailand this will be easy. Now we
have a structure in place and we see a
lot of activities already moving, beside
the support of the Hong Kong flight
and promotion of this new market.
We are seeing requests from European
operators to join our activities to pro-
mote the Central Coast from their side.
We are also intensifying cooperation
with Vietnam Airlines.
The Central Coast has been touted
to become the Phuket or Bali of Viet-
nam. What are your thoughts?
This comparison just recently came
up in the media and shows that there is
a good chance to follow the direction
of these known destinations. We are
still a small player with limited capacity,
however we are looking for an image
that can compete and that shows that
Central Coast Vietnam is new and fresh.
We are confident that Central Coast
Vietnam has the best combination of
offers for guests that are looking for
new destinations.
How does the quality of beach resorts
and services in the Central Coast
compare to Bali and Phuket?
We have many well known brands
in place, like InterContinental, Banyan
Tree, GHM/Nam Hai, Hyatt Regent,
Furama and different Accor brands as
well as new developments such as Fu-
sion Maia with its all inclusive spa in-
novation. At same time, there is still a
need for more infrastructure and hotel
capacity. However, Vietnam is a new
experience and places like Hue and Hoi
An will surprise the market in the com-
ing years.
Although the number of hotel rooms
in the Central Coast is still mod-
est compared to Bali and Phuket,
there are fears the area is in danger
of oversupply. Is oversupply a real
concern?
For now may be, however once
more flights are routed here we will
see the need for extra capacity. At
the three and four-star level there is
32
timeout
Hoteliers and golf courses
owners in central Vietnam
have set up the collaborative
Central Coast Vietnam Destina-
tion Marketing Organisation.
Its chairman,
Louk Lennaerts
,
talks to
Tran Son
about how
this body hopes to change the
tourism industry in the area
PULLING TOGETHER
DANANG IN FOCUS