VIETNAM Airlines today commences two new direct flights to Danang, one from Seoul, South Korea and another from Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The Seoul service will be operated thrice weekly, while Siem Reap flights will be a daily service, and together bring Vietnam Airlines’ total number of international routes to 28.
Round-trip tickets for Seoul are priced at 5.9 million Vietnamese dong (US$281), while Siem Reap-Danang tickets cost 1.7 million Vietnamese dong.
Despite the room boom in Danang over recent months, hotel managers and investors in the area have remained resolutely upbeat, believing that new flights will bring with them bigger demand.
In January this year, hoteliers, resort and golf course owners, and travel operators came together to set up the Central Coast Vietnam Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO), to promote the region as a competitior against established beach destinations such as Bali (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 29, 2013).
The DMO’s chairman, Louk Lennaerts, predicts more international flights would come on line in the coming months.
“Vietnam Airlines is also considering direct flights from Japan to Danang, while Thai Airways is still looking at flights from Bangkok with its sister airline, THAI Smile,” he said.
By David Lloyd Buglar
