“Connecting Partners, Creating Future” – a networking platform built for long-term growth

More than 300 sellers, 150 international buyers, 400 domestic buyers and over 1,500 delegates and attendees are expected to gather at DITF 2026. Yet behind these numbers, the goal of the Da Nang International Tourism Festival is not to stage a crowded event, but to connect the players who can together create new products, markets and visitor flows.

That is also the spirit of the theme “Connecting Partners, Creating Future”.

DITF grew out of the Da Nang Tourism Festival. Over the years of organising it, the Executive Board of the Da Nang Tourism Association saw that the city needed a B2B event large enough for tour operators, buyers and international partners to come to Da Nang in person, inspect accommodation, infrastructure, transport and destinations, and meet the businesses able to develop markets alongside them.

In 2025, the name Danang International Tourism Festival – DITF was chosen, signalling more clearly the ambition to build an annual international trade meeting point. At DITF 2026, that ambition takes concrete shape as a chain of connections running across four days, from welcoming buyers and product inspections to Business Matching and post-event follow-up.

150 international buyers bring source-market demand straight to Da Nang

DITF 2026 expects to welcome more than 150 international buyers, alongside more than 400 domestic buyers. They play a key role in connecting more than 300 suppliers with markets capable of generating visitor flows.

For businesses, the value of the figure 150 is not simply the number of international partners present in Da Nang. Each buyer represents a network of customers, a distribution channel or a market that Vietnamese businesses can reach through a single face-to-face meeting.

In the other direction, buyers can find partners in accommodation, resorts, aviation, travel, destinations, MICE and a wide range of ancillary services all at one event. This makes it possible to connect many links and build a complete travel programme together, rather than just buying a single service.

“Connecting Partners” here therefore means connecting supply in Vietnam with market demand. Future value is created when those connections can grow into new products, new sales channels and new visitor flows.

More than 700 buyers and sellers: scale only counts when the right partners find each other

With more than 300 sellers and more than 550 domestic and international buyers, the number of potential connections at DITF is huge. But that very scale creates a requirement: businesses cannot wait until the day of the event to start looking for the right people.

DITF therefore holds Business Matching on 18 October, and uses a B2B pre-matching mechanism so that buyers and sellers can research, select and line up partners before meeting face to face.

The morning session focuses on domestic buyers; the afternoon session is reserved for international buyers. This structure lets businesses proactively approach both market groups and spend their time with the partners that best fit their business direction.

A meeting that has been prepared in advance is also more likely to lead to a next step than random networking. A meeting may be followed by a request for a quote, a proposal for an inspection visit, a more in-depth discussion or a new cooperation programme.

The value of more than 700 buyers and sellers, then, does not lie in adding up the number of attendees. It lies in the number of well-matched relationships that can be formed within that network.

Two days of experiences and trade let buyers meet partners and verify products

On 17 October, the programme focuses on product presentations, thematic seminars and service and destination inspection activities for international buyers. On 18 October, the focus shifts to Business Matching.

Placing product inspections alongside B2B activities creates a connection structure particularly well suited to the tourism industry.

Buyers can meet businesses at the trade tables, and at the same time experience first-hand the accommodation, destinations and services those businesses are presenting. A tour operator therefore does not just hear that Da Nang can serve MICE, leisure or specialised segments; they can assess the products directly before deciding whether they suit their market.

These two days create two complementary layers of information: meetings help buyers understand their partners; famtrips help buyers understand the product.

When both conditions are met, the chances of a connection developing into a real sales programme become clearer.

Four event days designed as one continuous chain of connections

DITF 2026 takes place over four days, from 16 to 19 October, but each day plays a different role in the connection journey.

On 16 October, international buyers arrive in Da Nang and begin building their network through the welcome activities and the Welcome Dinner. 17 October is dedicated to product discovery, thematic discussions and on-site inspections. 18 October centres on Business Matching between buyers and sellers. On 19 October, inspection programmes continue before the delegations end their trip.

Seen through this structure, DITF does not organise disconnected activities. Each step adds another layer of understanding between the parties: getting acquainted – learning more – meeting – experiencing – continuing the conversation.

This is also how business relationships usually take shape in practice. Not every buyer will sign a contract at DITF, but after four days they can leave Da Nang with a list of partners they have met, products they have inspected and opportunities to keep working on.

That is the foundation for “Creating Future” to carry on after 19 October.

More than 300 sellers form an ecosystem for developing new products

Another strength of DITF lies in its supply structure. The more than 300 sellers expected to take part are not only hotels or travel companies, but also resort chains, destinations, airlines and many service providers across the tourism ecosystem.

For buyers, this makes it possible to build a complete programme within a single partner network. A new tourism product may need hotels, transport, experiences, attractions and a ground operator; a MICE programme also needs airlines, event spaces and many other supporting suppliers.

When many links are present together, connections made at DITF can lead to partnerships that go beyond a buy–sell relationship between two businesses.

The MOUs expected to emerge in that environment should be viewed through the same lens: a signing ceremony only sets a direction for cooperation; the long-term value lies in the programmes, products and market activities rolled out afterwards.

The value of 1,500 attendees is measured by what continues after 19 October

With more than 1,500 delegates and attendees, DITF 2026 creates a large-scale network linking businesses, experts, partners and markets.

But in the view of the Da Nang Tourism Association, scale is not the ultimate yardstick.

Mr Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association, stressed:

“We hope DITF will be not just a place where businesses meet, showcase products or promote destinations, but, more importantly, a place that creates connections capable of turning into genuine cooperation opportunities and real business value.”

That is why the indicators worth watching after DITF will lie in the next step: how many buyers go on to request information and quotes; how many partners move on to more in-depth inspections; how many MOUs are implemented; how many new products take shape; and how many connections ultimately generate visitor flows.