Vietnam Airlines opens new routes, boosting Vietnamese tourism

Opening new routes, increasing flight frequencies, and combining ticket incentives with travel products help Vietnam Airlines and localities expand tourist markets, develop tours, and create more opportunities to boost service revenue, contributing to driving economic growth in 2026.

From air routes to tourist markets

Amid Vietnam's drive for double-digit economic growth, tourism is expected to create momentum for consumption, employment, and various service sectors. To harness this potential, besides having appealing resources and products, localities need to improve connectivity and coordinate with businesses to organize convenient itineraries.

As the national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines is combining flight network development with tourism promotion activities and local cooperation. This approach aims to address two challenges simultaneously: bringing tourists to destinations more conveniently and giving them more reasons to choose and experience multiple products during the same trip.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the comprehensive cooperation program between Vietnam Airlines and the city for the 2023–2027 period focuses on tourism promotion, destination marketing, product development, and business networking. In 2026, the airline continues to accompany the city at the Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo (ITE HCMC), connecting travel enterprises and international partners and introducing aviation products.

A specific example is Vietnam Airlines' announcement of the Ho Chi Minh City - Phuket route at the Vietnam - Thailand Business Forum in May 2026. Developing connectivity between the two destinations creates further opportunities to build two-way tourism products, reach travelers seeking leisure vacations, and expand itinerary options in the region.

Alongside flight network expansion, the airline is organizing around 50 survey trips for travel partners and 18 trips for international press in 2026. These activities enable travel partners and media to survey products, explore destinations, and connect with local businesses.

When implemented synchronously, flight routes facilitate market access, while promotion and business networking help turn interest into tours, vacation packages, and commercially viable products.

Increasing frequency, expanding tour development opportunities

In Da Nang, the cooperation agreement between the city and Vietnam Airlines for the 2026–2030 period focuses on researching route openings, improving operational efficiency, and developing products linked to the flight network. Both sides prioritize segments such as resort tourism, golf, culture, cuisine, and MICE.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee, assessed aviation as an important driver for tourism, investment, and trade; expanding cooperation helps the city enhance its connectivity capacity and destination competitiveness.

According to information released in July 2026, Vietnam Airlines increased the frequency of the Da Nang - Narita (Japan) route from 7 to 11 flights per week starting July 1. The flight increase gives passengers more schedule options while enabling travel companies to organize tours more flexibly.

For the international tourist market, higher flight frequency can help businesses proactively arrange departure dates, sightseeing time, and accommodations, rather than depending on limited flight schedules. This also serves as a basis for developing long-stay vacation programs, tours combining multiple experiences, or itineraries for group travelers.

Da Nang can combine its coastal advantages with cultural products, cuisine, and neighboring destinations. When travel companies build multi-day tours tied to suitable flight schedules, tourists have more options beyond short getaways, while accommodation facilities, restaurants, and experience operators have the opportunity to serve guests for longer.

Mr. Dang Anh Tuan, Executive Vice President of Vietnam Airlines, stated that the airline wants to leverage the advantages of its domestic and international flight networks to connect Da Nang with more markets, attract tourists and investors, and promote the city's image internationally.

According to data released in early October 2026, in the first 9 months of the year, accommodation establishments in Da Nang served approximately 15.86 million visitors, an increase of 26.4% compared to the same period last year. Revenue from accommodation and food services was estimated at 52,945 billion VND, up 26.2%; travel revenue reached approximately 4,028 billion VND, up 16.5%.

Thousands of deals for domestic flights

In addition to expanding connectivity, promotional programs help reduce travel costs and create more motivation for passengers to choose itineraries. In October 2026, Vietnam Airlines launched the Quick Sale App promotion, offering up to 10% off airfares on select itineraries when purchased via the app every Tuesday. The ticket purchase period applies until December 31, 2026, with departure dates valid through June 30, 2027. The airline also offers discounts of up to 300,000 VND when paying for tickets via VNPAY-QR, subject to applicable terms and conditions until December 31, 2026.

These promotions create more options for customers, but to boost local tourism revenue, airfares need to be combined with travel products and accommodation services.

This coordination helps visitors easily budget for the entire trip while creating opportunities for businesses to cross-sell services. For localities, multi-experience package tours can encourage tourists to extend their length of stay, distribute visitors across various attractions, and boost demand for dining, shopping, and transportation.

Opening air routes or increasing flight frequencies only creates initial conditions. For visitor flows to translate into economic value, localities need attractive products, consistent service quality, and seamless connectivity among aviation, travel agencies, accommodation, transportation, and tourist attractions.

For Vietnam Airlines, collaborating with Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and tourism partners demonstrates that the carrier's role lies not only in passenger transport, but also in connecting markets, promoting destinations, and supporting product development.

In the context of Vietnam aiming for double-digit economic growth by 2026, this partnership model helps materialize the responsibility of state-owned enterprises by leveraging resources, expanding business opportunities, and enabling tourism benefits to spill over into service sectors.

A flight can bring visitors to their starting point, but it is the coordination among airlines, localities, and businesses that decides the potential to expand itineraries, lengthen stays, and increase spending. When transport connections are coupled with suitable products, tourism gains more opportunities to contribute substantially and sustainably to economic growth.

According to baochinhphu.vn

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/vietnam-airlines-mo-duong-bay-moi-tiep-suc-du-lich-viet-102261102110050105.htm