Bill Gates and his girlfriend Paula Hurd (centre) pose for a photo with Vietnamese tea master Hoang Anh Suong (right) and a Buddhist nun after a tea ceremony on Ban Co Peak in Da Nang on March 6. (Photo courtesy of Hoang Anh Suong) After the visit of Microsoft’s founder, the keywords "Bill Gates","Danang, city in Vietnam", and "Danang" have surgedsignificantly, according to Google Trends.
According to Director of the city Department of Tourism Truong Thi Hong Hanh,the province highly values the impact of famous figures on promoting tourismand hopes to attract other renowned people in the future, following BillGates's visit.
“Da Nang is becoming a destination of choice for ultra-rich tourists and famousindividuals. It is being selected for tourism, and filming game shows and movieprojects,” she said.
In particular, Bill Gates's trip to Da Nang has demonstrated that the citymeets all the requirements of high-profile tourists who have strict demands forquality accommodation, services, distinctive culture, and a safe and friendlyatmosphere at their destination.
The successful organisation of this visit has indicated the city’s potential fordeveloping unique tourism products based on the core values of culture,heritage, history and nature.
Apart from Bill Gates, famous figures who have visited Da Nang recentlyinclude Indian tycoons, and celebrities Lee Joon Gi, Lee Je Hoon, and Kim YooBin from the Republic of Korea (RoK).
Their presence has brought significant brand recognition to DaNang, contributing to positioning the city on the world tourism map, therebyincreasing the media effect on social media platforms and attracting many otherinternational visitors.
"This encouraging signal demonstrates the effectiveness of Da Nang’s tourismdevelopment direction," Hanh said.
She said that the top concern for high-profile tourists is safety and privacy,alongside unique experiences. They do not want to publicly disclose theirtravel itineraries, in order to freely explore and experience the destination.
Therefore, Da Nang always places great importance on ensuring the quality ofservices and human resources at tourism-related establishments, while alsopreserving the destination's brand.
Keenly aware of the impact of famous individuals, the city's tourism authorityhas connected with some of them to promote the destination through variouschannels such as television, travel corporations, entertainment companies, airlines,festivals, and public events.
Specifically, the authority has collaborated with IHQ, a Korean televisionchannel, to film the travel show Travely featuring sports influencers such as ChoEun-bi, Kim Hye-lin and Kim Ah-ryong.
Besides, rapper Kim Yoo Bin, former member of the famous girl group WonderGirls, has been featured in promotion programmes on culture, tourism, cuisineand people that have been carried out by the department in collaboration withSouth Korean television station SBS.
Da Nang has also enhanced its tourism reputation domestically throughcollaboration with producers of Vietnamese reality series 2 Ngay 1 Dem (2 Days 1Night), Hanh Trinh RucRo (Vibrant Journey), and Muon An Phai Lan Vao Bep (To Eat, You Must Enterthe Kitchen) to film at the city.
The department will continue to connect with event organisers and hotels togather information regarding plans for welcoming celebrities. Additionally,they will further promote the city through various communication channels.
According to the Statistics Office of Da Nang, in the first two months of 2024,the city welcomed 1.1 million tourist arrivals, an increase of 23.3% comparedto the same period last year. Among them, foreign visitors were estimated at370,000, a 26.5% increase compared to the same period.
The trend of employing international famous figures to promote traveldestinations is a tested approach that has a real impact on people’s traveldecisions.
This approach has proven to be effective, as exemplified by American celebratedsinger Taylor Swift and K-pop megastar BTS.
A Harvard Business School study showed that celebrities have a"significant" impact on tourists' travel decisions, helping generatesales that are 4% higher than those of competing destinations./.
VNA
