The central coastal city experienced the biggest increase in travel searches, according to Google analytics.
The top 10 list was released this week as part of a newly expanded Google travel service that helps people find hotels and the best times to fly. It was compiled by comparing Google searches for travel destinations for 2020 compared with last year. Because it looks at rising interest, perennial vacation spots like Paris and New York did not make the list.
Vietnam's Da Nang came out on top as the travel destination tourists are interested in the most in 2020. The rest of the top 10, in order, were: São Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Marseille, Vienna, Bangkok, Dubai and Perth.
Image by Google.
This is not the first time Da Nang has received international acclaim for its tourism potential. Last year, The New York Times named it as one of "52 places to go in 2019," and Australia's Finder search engine noted it was one of the top cities to travel to in 2019.
While such a high profile in foreign media may be new, Da Nang's beaches, vibrant food culture and proximity to the UNESCO Heritage Site Hoi An have made it a popular site for domestic tourism for years. Vietnam's National Administration of Tourism revealed it was the most frequented city for Vietnamese vacationers in 2019.
To manage the rise in arrivals, Da Nang's international airport added a second terminal in 2017, and authorities are working towards having a third approved. The facility welcomed 24.4% more passengers in 2018 than it did in 2017. Meanwhile, numerous new international direct flights are being added, including trips to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei and Singapore.
[Photo via Jean-Pierre Bluteau's Flickr]
