Promoting tourism through cinema: A potential direction

Tourists visit the Cu Chi Tunnels historical site. Photo: Hoang Lan

Effective tourism promotion channel

The movie “Red Rain” is “making waves” in the domestic market, not only creating a new momentum for the Vietnamese cultural industry but also opening a new direction for tourism development in Quang Tri . After the movie was released, many tourists expressed their desire to visit the ancient citadel in Quang Tri to witness with their own eyes the place where fierce battles took place.

Head of the Management Board of the General Secretary Le Duan Memorial Site and Quang Tri Citadel, Ms. Cap Thi Thien Trang, said that after the effect of the movie “Red Rain”, the number of visitors to the Citadel increased dramatically. During the recent National Day holiday on September 2, Quang Tri Citadel welcomed nearly 10,000 visitors.

Head of Communications of Flamingo Redtours Travel Company Vu Thi Bich Hue also informed that the number of customers booking tours to Quang Tri Citadel increased by 30% after the movie was released. Currently, the tour to Quang Tri with the itinerary visiting Hien Luong Bridge - Ben Hai River - Vinh Moc Tunnels - Truong Son Cemetery - Vung Chua is attracting the most attention.

Not only Quang Tri has flourished, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification, with the success of the film “Tunnels: Sun in the Dark”, the number of visitors to Ho Chi Minh City increased. The effect of the film has become a lever to make the Cu Chi discovery tour “feverish”.

Nguyen Ngoc An, Deputy General Director of Vietluxtour Travel, said that thanks to the appeal of the film, the number of customers interested in and buying tours to experience Cu Chi Tunnels has increased dramatically. Many travel agencies have increased the number of tours taking visitors to Cu Chi Tunnels and other historical and revolutionary sites in the South.

In fact, developing tourism through cinema is not a new story. Many Vietnamese cinema works have effectively contributed to the tourism development of many localities. After the success of the films “Pao's Story” (2006), “Endless Field” (2010), “Father and Son” (2017), “I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass” (2015), “Blue Eyes” (2019), “You and Trinh” (2022), “Southern Forest Land” (2023) ..., the filming locations of these films have become popular destinations for tourists.

According to statistics from the General Department of Tourism in the period of 2018 - 2019, the growth rate of tourists to localities after the above films were released was quite impressive: Phu Yen (now Dak Lak) increased by 113%, Ha Giang (now Tuyen Quang) increased by 64%, Quang Ninh increased by 69%, Quang Binh (now Quang Tri) increased by 141%...

Need for exploitation strategy

In the world, especially in countries with developed cinema, cinema has become an important lever to promote and develop tourism. Many countries have built specific strategies and roadmaps to promote the country, people, culture, cuisine and tourism through cinema.

According to experts, with its beautiful landscapes, many famous landmarks and rich traditional culture, Vietnam is an attractive resource for filmmakers. Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh affirmed that Vietnam is rich in cultural traditions, possesses majestic natural landscapes, diverse ecosystems and kind, open-minded people. This is valuable material for cinema. At the same time, when cinema develops, it also becomes a "lever" to promote and boost local tourism.

However, although cinema has created "fever" in many destinations, opening up new trends for tourism development, film tourism in Vietnam is still in its infancy. Tourism products associated with film settings are mainly spontaneous, unsystematic, and have not yet formed a national brand. Many film sets, after being built, have not created the desired attraction, typically the film set "Kong - Skull Island" in Ninh Binh; or many films, after finishing filming, do not retain the settings to exploit tourism due to many reasons.

Director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute Pham Hai Quynh said that localities need to have investment strategies, combining with businesses to build tourism products after the effects of the film. For example, after the film "Red Rain", Quang Tri province can coordinate with travel agencies to exploit the "Following the Red Rain" tour with experiences: Visiting the Citadel, Thach Han River, Vinh Moc tunnels; recreating scenes of daily life in the tunnel; or connecting with local culture and cuisine, listening to stories from historical witnesses.

According to Vice President of the Vietnam Community Tourism Association Vu Van Tuyen, in order for film tourism to develop sustainably, in addition to calling on filmmakers to exploit natural and cultural resources, localities also need a systematic investment strategy and effective use of film studios to attract tourists.

Currently, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is implementing the Strategy for connecting tourism and cinema with the following key orientations: Building a legal corridor and favorable policy environment; enhancing the capacity of the ecosystem to support film production and tourism product development; strengthening public-private partnership and international cooperation; and promoting and promoting the integration of tourism and cinema.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong said that the Ministry will strengthen cooperation, cultural exchange, promote tourism and the image of Vietnam to markets with developed cinema industries such as Hollywood, India, Korea..., gradually building a "Vietnam cinema tourism map" to the world.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/quang-ba-du-lich-qua-dien-anh-huong-di-giau-tiem-nang-716776.html