ĐÀ NẴNG — The short visit of American billionaire Bill Gates to Đà Nẵng early this month has demonstrated that the central city can meet the standards of high-profile guests.

After the visit of Microsoft’s founder, the keywords "Bill Gates", "Danang, city in Vietnam", and "Danang" have surged significantly, according to Google Trends.

According to Director of Đà Nẵng Department of Tourism Trương Thị Hồng Hạnh, the province highly values the impact of famous figures on promoting tourism and hopes to attract other renowned people in the future, following Bill Gates's visit.

“Đà Nẵng is becoming a destination of choice for ultra-rich tourists and famous individuals. It is being selected for tourism, and filming game shows and movie projects,” she said.

Bill Gates and his girlfriend Paula Hurd (centre) pose for a photo with Vietnamese tea master Hoàng Anh Sướng (right) and a Buddhist nun after a tea ceremony on Bàn Cờ Peak in Đà Nẵng on March 6. — Photo courtesy of Hoàng Anh Sướng

In particular, Bill Gates's trip to Đà Nẵng has demonstrated that the city meets all the requirements of high-profile tourists who have strict demands for quality accommodation, services, distinctive culture, and a safe and friendly atmosphere at their destination.

The successful organisation of this visit has indicated the city’s potential for developing unique tourism products based on the core values of culture, heritage, history and nature.

Apart from Bill Gates, famous figures who have visited Đà Nẵng recently include Indian tycoons, and South Korean celebrities Lee Joon Gi, Lee Je Hoon, and Kim Yoo Bin.

Their presence has brought significant brand recognition to Đà Nẵng, contributing to positioning the city on the world tourism map, thereby increasing the media effect on social media platforms and attracting many other international visitors.

"This encouraging signal demonstrates the effectiveness of Đà Nẵng's tourism development direction," Hạnh said.

A luxury hillside resort in Đà Nẵng which has accommodated ultra-wealthy tourists and famous figures including Bill Gates. — Photo courtesy of Sun Group

She said that the top concern for high-profile tourists is safety and privacy, alongside unique experiences. They do not want to publicly disclose their travel itineraries, in order to freely explore and experience the destination.

Therefore, Đà Nẵng always places great importance on ensuring the quality of services and human resources at tourism-related establishments, while also preserving the destination's brand.

Keenly aware of the impact of famous individuals, the city's tourism authority has connected with some of them to promote the destination through various channels such as television, travel corporations, entertainment companies, airlines, festivals, and public events.

Specifically, the authority has collaborated with IHQ, a South Korean television channel, to film the travel show Travely featuring sports influencers such as Cho Eun-bi, Kim Hye-lin and Kim Ah-ryong.

Crew of the South Korean TV show 'Travely' prepares for a film shooting on Sơn Trà Beach in Đà Nẵng. — Photo courtesy of IHQ

Besides, rapper Kim Yoo Bin, former member of the famous girl group Wonder Girls, has been featured in promotion programmes on culture, tourism, cuisine and people that have been carried out by the department in collaboration with South Korean television station SBS.

Đà Nẵng has also enhanced its tourism reputation domestically through collaboration with producers of Vietnamese reality series 2 Ngày 1 Đêm (2 Days 1 Night), Hành Trình Rực Rỡ (Vibrant Journey), and Muốn Ăn Phải Lăn Vào Bếp (To Eat, You Must Enter the Kitchen) to film at the city.

The department will continue to connect with event organisers and hotels to gather information regarding plans for welcoming celebrities. Additionally, they will further promote the city through various communication channels.

According to the Statistics Office of Đà Nẵng, in the first two months of 2024, the city welcomed 1.1 million tourist arrivals, an increase of 23.3 per cent compared to the same period last year. Among them, foreign visitors were estimated at 370,000, a 26.5 per cent increase compared to the same period.

The trend of employing international famous figures to promote travel destinations is a tested approach that has a real impact on people’s travel decisions.

This approach has proven to be effective, as exemplified by American celebrated singer Taylor Swift and K-pop megastar BTS.

A Harvard Business School study showed that celebrities have a "significant" impact on tourists' travel decisions, helping generate sales that are 4 per cent higher than those of competing destinations. — VNS