The Da Nang Department of Tourism has just announced the message "Where happiness begins" as part of its communication and marketing plan for wedding destinations in Da Nang for the period 2024-2025. Currently, the local tourism industry has developed products and promoted them in many markets, including India and South Korea.
Indian tourists surged.
From January 19th to 21st, a lavish wedding reception for an Indian billionaire couple took place at the Sheraton Grand Da Nang Resort (Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang City). The hosts spent approximately $500,000, booking over 250 rooms for three days, accommodating nearly 500 guests and staff, and using over a ton of materials, costumes, and props shipped from India to Da Nang.
David Ippersiel, General Manager of Sheraton Grand Da Nang Resort, said that to organize large-scale wedding events, meeting stringent requirements from facilities to professional event planning services is essential. At the same time, the novelty and reputation of the destination are also very important criteria for the bride's family to consider when making their decision.
In recent days, the Phu Quoc tourism community has been abuzz about a lavish wedding of an Indian couple. Mr. Bui Quoc Thai, Director of the Kien Giang Provincial Department of Tourism, stated that this was the wedding of an Indian billionaire, held from January 20th to 23rd at the Sunset Town resort on the "pearl island," with 350 guests, all from the upper class. The couple booked an entire 5-star resort in the southern part of the island for four days, with 234 rooms, suites, and villas, the most expensive being a 7-bedroom villa costing approximately 200 million VND per night. About six months prior, the couple flew to Vietnam four times to inspect the location and assess the quality of service before deciding on this resort for their wedding.
According to the organizers, the Sangeet ceremony (bachelor's ceremony) with close friends of the bride and groom was held on the evening of January 21st at the Grand Ballroom of the Sun Signature Gallery, an "art museum" located in the heart of Sunset Town. The wedding ceremony took place on January 22nd. In the morning, the couple held the Haldi ceremony, the first traditional ritual in an Indian wedding, at the resort. Following that, they held a Baraat procession from the resort to the wedding venue in Sunset Town in luxury cars. The wedding area was the Kiss Of The Sea stage complex with a multi-experience show combining fire, water, and lasers. In addition, the main ceremony included a spectacular fireworks display. To prepare for the lavish all-night feast, the couple brought dozens of professional chefs from India to Phu Quoc and collaborated with the resort's international culinary team. The menu for the party will feature dishes from diverse culinary cultures, including Thailand, Vietnam, France, the Mediterranean, and India.
In March 2019, a resort in Phu Quoc was also fully booked to host a lavish wedding for a billionaire couple from India. The wedding of groom Rushang Shah and bride Kaabia Grewaly had 700 guests, all from the upper class of India and many other countries, along with over 200 staff members. Eleven events and ceremonies were held over four days, from March 7th to 10th, 2019. Two Vietjet planes were chartered to transport guests from India to Phu Quoc. The food for the wedding reception was also transported by private jet.
This event caused a surge in searches for hotels and flights to Vietnam by Indian tourists, increasing by 390% from January 2019 to mid-May 2023. In 2023, Da Nang City also saw growth in the Indian tourist market, with over 95,000 visitors, accounting for 50% of the total number of Indian tourists to Vietnam.
A wedding of an Indian billionaire couple was held at Furama Resort, Da Nang City. (Photo: Nguyen Tin)
Preparing for the luxury segment.
To support the wedding, the Da Nang City Department of Tourism coordinated with various units to implement welcoming activities. Specifically, they collaborated with Da Nang International Airport Terminal Investment and Exploitation Joint Stock Company (AHT) to display a welcome message on LED screens in the immigration area; facilitating the quick customs clearance of goods and luggage for the wedding ceremony. The Department of Tourism also presented flowers and souvenirs with blessings and conveyed Da Nang City's gratitude to the bride's family. Guests attending the wedding were also welcomed with performances of traditional Vietnamese musical instruments.
Ms. Truong Thi Hong Hanh, Director of the Da Nang City Department of Tourism, believes that the city is an attractive destination for the Indian market. Along with that, a series of other strengths such as beach resorts and many famous hotel brands are advantages for Da Nang to develop wedding tourism, especially the luxury wedding segment.
Mr. Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the Da Nang City Tourism Association, assessed: "Da Nang City has many advantages to develop wedding tourism. This is also a product aimed at attracting tourists, especially from the upper class abroad." According to Mr. Dung, Da Nang has convenient transportation, complete and comprehensive accompanying services with many 5-star hotels and large halls suitable for large, luxurious wedding receptions. Besides, Da Nang is also a city with beautiful, romantic scenery, very suitable for couples to choose for their important day. "For foreign tourists, Da Nang is a new destination. For a long time, they chose Bali and Phuket. Now, choosing Da Nang is both an impressive and high-quality destination," Mr. Dung emphasized.
Speaking about the idea of developing luxury wedding tourism, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai An, Deputy Director of the Da Nang City Department of Tourism, said that it has been nurtured by those working in the tourism industry and 2024 will be the time for service providers to grasp the market segment, develop action plans to connect the business community, develop a service ecosystem and build a brand for wedding destinations in Da Nang.
In 2024, Da Nang City opened up several new directions for the tourism industry, including focusing on developing wedding tourism, especially attracting billion-dollar weddings from wealthy foreign clients.
Da Nang will host five more billionaire weddings.
According to the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center, in the coming months, five weddings of Indian billionaires are expected to take place in Da Nang, with 200 to 350 guests each, lasting 3 to 5 days. Hotels in Da Nang are also hosting dozens of weddings for couples from Japan and other countries. According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Quynh, General Director of Furama Resort, weddings from other international markets tend to be simple, private, and modest. However, the Indian market tends to hold longer weddings. With some weddings lasting up to 5 days, Furama Resort plans to host weddings for three Indian couples in early 2024. These weddings are expected to have hundreds of guests and extended stays. B. Vân
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai An, Deputy Director of the Da Nang City Department of Tourism:
Implementing a pilot support program.
The tourism sector is working with stakeholders and preparing content and resources for a pilot program to attract regular wedding tourists to Da Nang. The Da Nang Department of Tourism has identified 2024 as a time to strengthen promotional efforts in potential markets such as India and Northeast Asia, including South Korea, China, and Japan. The city will also invest in several projects to create distinctive wedding-related landmarks. In addition, the department will implement a pilot program to support attracting wedding tourists. In 2024, the Department of Tourism will proactively implement promotional activities for Da Nang tourism, focusing on wedding tourism targeting the Indian market, such as participating in the SATTE India Fair and inviting Indian wedding organizers to survey and experience Da Nang's wedding tourism infrastructure.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan, Head of Communications Department, Vietnam Tourism Association:
A strategy is needed to cater to ultra-wealthy customers.
India is a huge and promising emerging market. The fact that Indian billionaires are holding weddings in Vietnam confirms Vietnam's ability to create high-quality, high-revenue products despite the limited number of visitors. This also demonstrates Vietnam's ability to meet the demands of discerning customers, especially billionaires. Billionaires organizing events have a significant influence on the media, which helps Vietnam reach the Indian market. In the future, this will also help reach the markets of the ultra-wealthy in the Middle East, Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the US. To serve such a demanding and high-spending market as billionaires, seamless coordination is needed between all parties, including Vietnam's tourism industry, local authorities at the destination, and service providers. Furthermore, attention must be paid to marketing and promotion targeting this customer group. The wealthy value privacy. Determining the extent to which images are captured and how news is reported requires a high level of professionalism. A strategy to serve ultra-wealthy clients needs to begin with market research, supporting local authorities in evaluating and reviewing service criteria and standards, training human resources, and establishing criteria for security and privacy protection.
Dr. Vo Huu Hoa, Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management - Duy Tan University:
Specialized units are needed to provide support.
Attracting billionaire wedding tourism to Da Nang City still lacks several elements, such as supportive policies, a dedicated promotional model, and specialized units related to this type of tourism. The recent weddings of some billionaires in Da Nang have been facilitated by intermediary agencies. Meanwhile, the city possesses many advantages. The city needs to capitalize on this opportunity to attract tourists and restructure the tourism industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.
B. Vân - Y. Anh
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