The “handshake” between tourism and cinema is always expected to open up bright futures, but to maintain and develop this connection with the creation of new brands, a long-term story is needed.
In Vietnam, there is no shortage of examples of cinema-tourism connections, such as after the movie I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass, the number of tourists booking tours to Phu Yen, where the scenes in the movie were filmed, increased dramatically.
After the movie I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass, the number of tourists booking tours to Phu Yen increased dramatically.
Or the world blockbuster Kong: Skull Island has contributed significantly to promoting the beautiful landscape of Ninh Binh. Most recently, the movie Journey of Love, after only 4 days of release, has excellently entered the 3rd position of the most viewed English film globally with 13.4 million viewing hours, introducing the iconic beautiful landscapes of Vietnam including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hoi An and Ha Giang.
The mutual relationship between cinema and tourism is quite clear, but leaders of the Culture, Sports and Tourism sector also frankly admit that, although Vietnam is a country with diverse natural landscapes and cultural identities, compared to many countries in the region, Vietnam has not yet attracted many foreign film crews. The promotion of destinations through cinematographic works is still limited to a few small examples, not really effectively exploiting the available potential and advantages.
The potential and opportunities for tourism and cinema in Vietnam are quite large, however, to be able to take advantage of the power of artistic creativity in general and cinema in particular to introduce and promote tourism, many barriers still need to be overcome.
At the 2023 International Conference on Promoting Investment in Developing Tourism Brands Through Cinema, jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Khanh Hoa Province, many experts said that localities need to be proactive and invite domestic and international filmmakers.
In addition, it is necessary to synchronously implement many incentives on taxes, fees, exemptions and reductions in accommodation costs, and tickets to scenic spots; attract investment in building professional film studios and perfect the legal basis so that film crews can have the best working conditions.
To have a close and effective connection between the tourism industry and the film industry, a common voice is needed between businesses - film creators - local authorities.
