Anticipation from festival tourism

Organizing tours for tourists during the festival season is difficult (photo of tourists in front of the Fujian Assembly Hall during the Lantern Festival in 2025). Photo: VINH LOC

It's difficult to organize tours.

Although she had visited Hoi An many times before, this year, Ms. Nguyen An Thi, a tourist from Hanoi , had the opportunity to attend the Kim Bong Village Festival for the first time. Surprised by the festive atmosphere and the cultural values of the traditional craft village, Ms. An Thi shared: "I didn't think the festival would be so fun and unique, especially experiencing the Bài Chòi card game and wood carving."

The Kim Bong Village Festival takes place over two days, February 8-9 (corresponding to the 11th and 12th days of the first lunar month). At the event, domestic and international tourists have the opportunity to immerse themselves in festival activities such as boat trips on the river, visiting the rural market, participating in folk games, craft demonstrations, and enjoying local cuisine .

It is estimated that Quang Nam province has more than 10 major spring festivals, and in Hoi An city alone, some festivals have become annual cultural events such as the Cau Bong Festival, the Kim Bong Craft Village Festival, and the Lantern Festival…

However, information about the festival is not systematically promoted, especially through the media, or included in tour itineraries by travel companies. Therefore, attracting visitors to the festival is largely random; visitors find it on their own during their trips rather than as part of a pre-arranged itinerary.

According to Mr. Le Hoang Ha, Director of Duy Nhat Hoi An Tourism and Service Company Limited, with their indigenous cultural values, the spring festivals in Quang Nam all have the potential to become tourism products.

In fact, since the Lunar New Year, Mr. Ha's business has also organized tours for tourists to several festivals around Hoi An, such as the Cau Bong Festival and the Kim Bong Village Festival, to enhance the tourist experience. However, turning these festivals into stable, annual tourism products is another story.

“Firstly, the festival must convey a cultural and spiritual message, and especially must have connections, creating a series of consecutive events over several days. However, most festivals in Quang Nam currently take place individually, for short periods, on a small scale, and are local in nature. Not to mention, the ‘festival’ part is not particularly distinctive or unique, so it is very difficult to include it in tours to sell to tourists as a festival tourism product,” Mr. Ha analyzed.

The scale needs to be increased.

In some localities, spring festivals are always events that attract the attention of travel businesses and tourists. In Quang Nam, many festivals could still be developed in conjunction with tourism because they are located within the heritage area of the ancient city of Hoi An and the My Son temple complex, making them convenient for visitors. However, in reality, most localities have not yet achieved this goal.

The entertainment portion of festivals in Quang Nam lacks diversity and appeal to visitors. (In the photo: Singing Bài Chòi at the Kim Bong Festival in 2025. Photo: VINH LOC)

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Tuan, Director of Hoi An DMC Tourism Company, in order for Quang Nam festivals to become a spring travel destination, the events need to be elevated to the level of a tourism product. In particular, the "festival" part should diversify recreational activities, especially those suitable for international tourists.

“Most of my customers are Westerners; they don't understand much about rituals and ceremonies, not to mention that not all festivals are unique… But if there are fun and lively activities, they might participate. However, that's just a small experience; the company has never organized separate spring tours to promote and sell to customers,” Mr. Tuan shared.

He added that most travel businesses in Quang Nam operate by organizing tours that combine visits to a single destination over a short period, and therefore do not always coincide with festival times.

Mr. Van Ba Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, believes that exploiting the value of festivals has always been identified by the Quang Nam tourism industry as necessary to diversify destinations, create novelty, and connect with the preservation of local culture.

However, for the festival to truly become a highlight attracting tourists, the first requirement is to organize it systematically and annually, including mobilizing the participation of various economic sectors; developing cultural narratives linked to the religious life of the people through the festival, and establishing spiritual belief for visitors.

"When the festival's brand is elevated, more visitors will help the festival's activities develop and expand, and the local community, including tourism businesses, will participate, thereby creating tourism products and making it attractive for spring festival visitors," Mr. Son analyzed.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/cho-doi-tu-du-lich-le-hoi-3150391.html