
Da Nang to target luxury tourism from Dubai's elite
The inaugural Emirates flight to Da Nang received a ceremonial welcome.
Sun World Ba Na Hills continually unveiling a diverse range of performances and attractions throughout the year.
DA NANG, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire – 10 June 2025 -Emirates, recently named a global leader in aviation by Forbes Travel Guide 2025, is the largest airline in the Middle East with over 4,100 flights each week from Dubai International Airport to more than 140 cities across 80 countries.The new direct route to Da Nang is a gateway for billionaires from one of the wealthiest regions on earth to access Vietnam's central coast, carrying immense spending power. It also facilitates the arrival of high-end travellers from Europe and the Americas, as Dubai ranks among the world's busiest international transit hubs.According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang, as of April 2025, over 13,000 visitors from Middle Eastern countries had arrived in the city. This figure represents 0.73 percent of total international visitors, with most travellers coming from Iran, Israel and Turkey. With the new Emirates route now in operation, this number is expected to rise sharply, potentially adding trillions of Vietnamese dong in tourism revenue to the local economy.In recent years, Da Nang has made notable progress in diversifying into new high-potential markets. With a keen focus on growth, the city is extending its tourism outreach to areas including the Middle East and Central Asia. Charter flights to Da Nang have already launched from several cities, including Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan, with seven airlines offering 10 weekly flights from April to October 2025. Centrum-Air Airways is also operating a weekly service from Tashkent, Uzbekistan.According to Tran Chi Cuong, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee, the launch of the Emirates Dubai–Da Nang route reduces the travel gap between Da Nang and major global markets such as the Middle East, Europe, North America and Africa. It also helps to strengthen tourism development and opens new avenues for trade, investment, and cultural exchange.To serve high-end tourists, a destination must offer diverse experiences and premium resorts. Travelers from the Middle East are increasingly seeking new places to explore beyond the typical Southeast Asian favourites like Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. It's a prime opportunity for Da Nang, a city that combines natural beauty with world-class hospitality services, to welcome this affluent market.By May 2025, Da Nang had around 1,290 tourist accommodations, including 111 four and five-star hotels. InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Premier Village Danang Resort, Novotel Danang Premier Han River and Mercure Danang French Village Ba Na Hills, along with international brands such as Hyatt, Sheraton and Marriott which are favoured by Middle Eastern elites.The city boasts 16 tourist sites, with top destinations like Sun World Ba Na Hills and its iconic Golden Bridge, Da Nang Downtown and Than Tai Mountain Hot Spring Park drawing global attention. Golf tourism is another asset for Da Nang. The city features three international-standard golf courses. Ba Na Hills Golf Club, a masterpiece designed by golf legend Luke Donald and managed by IMG, which lauded as Asia's Best Golf Course five times.Da Nang is embracing Halal tourism, to make Middle Eastern guests feel at home. This travel model respects the religious and cultural practices of Muslim travellers, has become a core part to serve this market. Currently, the city has nearly 30 restaurants and eateries offering Halal-certified or Muslim-friendly cuisine. Among them, Halal Indrapura and Bharata Restaurant at Sun World Ba Na Hills, have received official Halal certification.Nguyen Vu Quynh Anh, Deputy CEO of Sun Group and CEO of Sun Hospitality & Entertainment Group, said:By establishing itself on the Emirates flight map, Da Nang has taken a strategic step forward in tapping into the Middle Eastern tourism market. This new air route is not only a catalyst for tourism growth but also a gateway for expanding trade, investment and cultural cooperation, said Truong Thi Hong Hanh, Director of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.Hashtag: #DaNang #Sungroup
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Malay Mail
World Bank trims Malaysia GDP forecast to 3.9pc amid global slowdown
KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Malaysia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for 2025 has been revised to 3.9 per cent, a 0.6 percentage-point downgrade from January 2025's projection, according to the World Bank's Global Economic Prospects report. The downgrade was attributed to the unpredictable macroeconomic effects of higher trade barriers, which the World Bank said could weigh on growth despite having benefited from fiscal policy support such as social spending programmes and public investment. It also stated that modest fiscal consolidation is expected to continue in Malaysia. Besides Malaysia, other East Asia and Pacific (EAP) countries also saw notable revisions, with the Philippines and Vietnam each experiencing a 0.8 percentage-point downgrade, with growth forecasts lowered to 5.3 per cent and 5.8 per cent, respectively. Thailand's projection was cut by 1.1 percentage points to 1.8 per cent, while Myanmar recorded the sharpest downgrade of 4.5 percentage points, bringing its 2025 GDP forecast to -2.5 per cent, said the report. Global growth is projected to decline to 2.3 per cent in 2025, with a slowdown in most economies compared to last year. This rate of growth will be the slowest since 2008, excluding periods of global recession. According to the report, Malaysia, which is among the economies with large export-oriented manufacturing sectors, is particularly exposed to a reemergence of trade tensions, higher trade costs, and weaker growth in major economies. It said gauges of manufacturing activity, including headline manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Indexes (PMIs) and goods trade indicators, have eased recently. Some trade-exposed emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), such as Malaysia, have seen the new export orders component of the manufacturing PMI weaken markedly since November amid increasing global trade policy uncertainty, the report said. — Bernama


Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Rare earths, China's trump card in trade war with US
The recent export control measures are not the first time China has leveraged its dominance of rare earth supply chains. (EPA Images pic) BEIJING : China is counting on one crucial advantage as it seeks to grind out a deal to ease its high-stakes trade war with the US – dominance in rare earths. Used in electric vehicles, hard drives, wind turbines and missiles, rare earth elements are essential to the modern economy and national defence. AFP takes a look at how rare earths have become a key sticking point in talks between the US and China. Mining boom 'The Middle East has oil. China has rare earths,' Deng Xiaoping, the late Chinese leader whose pro-market reforms set the country on its path to becoming an economic powerhouse, said in 1992. Since then, Beijing's heavy investment in state-owned mining firms and lax environmental regulations compared to other industry players have turned China into the world's top supplier. The country now accounts for 92% of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. However, the flow of rare earths from China to manufacturers around the world has slowed after Beijing in early April began requiring domestic exporters to apply for a licence – widely seen as a response to US tariffs. Under the new requirements – which industry groups have said are complex and slow-moving – seven key elements and related magnets require Beijing's approval to be shipped to foreign buyers. Deep impact Ensuring access to the vital elements has become a top priority for US officials in talks with Chinese counterparts, with the two sides meeting this week in London. 'The rare earth issue has clearly… overpowered the other parts of the trade negotiations because of stoppages at plants in the US,' said Paul Triolo, a technology expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute's centre for China analysis, in an online seminar on Monday. 'That disruption, which forced US car giant Ford to temporarily halt production of its Explorer SUV, 'really got the attention of the White House,' said Triolo. Officials from the two countries said yesterday that they had agreed on a 'framework' for moving forward on trade – with US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick expressing optimism that concerns over access to rare earths 'will be resolved' eventually. Rare earth advantage The slowing of licence issuance has raised fears that more automakers will be forced to halt production while they await shipments. China's commerce ministry said over the weekend that as a 'responsible major country' it had approved a certain number of export applications, adding that it was willing to strengthen related dialogue with 'relevant countries'. However, that bottleneck has highlighted Washington's reliance on Chinese rare earths for producing its defence equipment even as trade and geopolitical tensions deepen. An F-35 fighter jet contains over 900 pounds (more than 400km) of rare earth elements, noted a recent analysis by Gracelin Baskaran and Meredith Schwartz of the Critical Minerals Security Programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'Developing mining and processing capabilities requires a long-term effort, meaning the US will be on the back foot for the foreseeable future,' they wrote. Playing catch up The recent export control measures are not the first time China has leveraged its dominance of rare earths supply chains. After a 2010 maritime collision between a Chinese trawler and Japanese coast guard boats in disputed waters, Beijing briefly halted shipments of its rare earths to Tokyo. The episode spurred Japan to invest in alternative sources and improve stockpiling of the vital elements – with limited success. That is 'a good illustration of the difficulty of actually reducing dependence on China', said Triolo, noting that in the 15 years since the incident, Japan has achieved only 'marginal gains'. The Pentagon is trying to catch up, with its 'mine-to-magnet' strategy aiming to ensure an all-domestic supply chain for the key components by 2027. The challenge facing Washington to compete with Beijing in rare earths is compounded by sheer luck: China sits on the world's largest reserves. 'Mineable concentrations are less common than for most other mineral commodities, making extraction more costly,' wrote Rico Luman and Ewa Manthey of ING in an analysis published yesterday. 'It is this complex and costly extraction and processing that make rare earths strategically significant,' they wrote. 'This gives China a strong negotiating position,' they added.


Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Singapore government extends The Online Citizen's financial ban to 2027 over falsehoods
SINGAPORE, June 11 — The Online Citizen (TOC) will remain barred from receiving any financial benefits through its website and social media platforms until 2027, after Singapore authorities extended its designation as a Declared Online Location (DOL) under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma). In a statement today, Singapore's Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said the extension — effective from July 21, 2025, to July 21, 2027 — was necessary 'to ensure Singaporeans continue to be alerted to TOC's record of communicating falsehoods.' The website and its associated Facebook, Instagram and X pages were first labelled as DOLs in July 2023. This status means the operators cannot monetise their content or receive financial support during the declaration period. According to MDDI, TOC 'continued to communicate falsehoods through its online platforms over the past two years', even while under the initial DOL designation. Between July 2023 and June 2025, the site was issued eight correction directions under Pofma. One such direction, issued on February 25, related to an article TOC published about modification works at the Ridout Road colonial bungalow leased by Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam's wife. In it, TOC claimed that the Singapore Land Authority had promised Shanmugam a lease extension beyond 2027 and that public funds were used for earthworks at the property from 2024 — claims which the ministry said were false. The latest DOL order requires TOC to carry a notice on all its platforms stating that it has 'communicated multiple falsehoods' and warning viewers to exercise caution when accessing its content. In addition, the MDDI said service providers, including digital advertising agencies, 'will have to take steps to ensure that their paid content on TOC's platforms are not made available in Singapore.' 'Individuals and companies must also not provide financial support to TOC's DOLs to avoid promoting the communication of falsehoods in Singapore on these platforms,' the ministry added. TOC may continue operating its platforms but is barred from monetising them during the DOL period. Under Pofma, the Singapore government can also instruct internet intermediaries to block access to DOLs if operators fail to comply with restrictions. Companies that flout such orders face fines of up to S$20,000 (RM65,900) per day, capped at S$500,000. Operators of DOLs may apply to the minister to vary or cancel the declaration. If unsuccessful, they may appeal to the High Court. TOC is one of four entities currently designated as DOLs, alongside Gutzy Asia, the Transformative Justice Collective, and Opposition politician Kenneth Jeyaretnam's platforms.