The effectiveness of tourism promotion through KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders)

DNO - More and more KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) are participating in promoting and introducing the city's destinations on social media platforms, contributing to bringing the image of Da Nang tourism closer to domestic and international tourists.

A group of Filipino KOLs visited and experienced Da Nang . Photo: Tourism Promotion Center.

Boosting visitor growth

In late August, the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center, in collaboration with Cebu Pacific Airlines, organized a famtrip for a group of Filipino KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) to visit and experience Da Nang city.

With the message "New Da Nang - New Experiences," over a period of 5 days and 4 nights, the group surveyed and experienced many tourist attractions in the city such as: Son Tra Peninsula, Cham Sculpture Museum, Marble Mountains, Hoi An Ancient Town, My Son Sanctuary, Bay Mau Coconut Forest, Thanh Ha Pottery Village, Tra Que Vegetable Village… The organization of the KOLs group is expected to further spread the image of Da Nang tourism to the Philippine market and the Southeast Asian region.

In recent years, the trend of using KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) in tourism communication has become increasingly popular. In Da Nang, the city welcomes an average of 50 KOLs annually and organizes events featuring them. By leveraging the influence of KOLs and the advantages of social media, the results have been quite positive.

In particular, the cost of inviting KOLs is much lower than traditional promotional activities. Most are socialized, with the support of service providers such as transportation, accommodation, and restaurants.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Khiet, Deputy Director in charge of the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board, observed that the emergence of KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) with a large number of followers has contributed to creating a strong wave of interest in the My Son heritage site.

"Articles and images from KOLs not only showcase the beauty of Champa architecture and sculpture but also highlight the cultural imprint of Champa through unique folk dances, thereby giving tourists a more multifaceted and profound view of the heritage site," said Mr. Nguyen Cong Khiet.

It seems that every year, My Son welcomes several groups of famous KOLs and travel bloggers from both Vietnam and abroad who come to experience the site, share articles, images, and impressions on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, helping to bring the image of My Son closer to the public.

Surveys show that most popular tourist destinations in the city, such as Hoi An Ancient Town, Bay Mau Coconut Forest, Vinpearl Nam Hoi An, Han Market, and Sun World Ba Na Hills, have recorded a significant increase in young visitors after YouTubers shared videos on social media.

Develop policies for KOLs.

In the first eight months of 2025, Da Nang is expected to welcome approximately 12.8 million visitors, a 20.8% increase compared to the same period in 2024 (with international visitors reaching 5 million).

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Tham, Director of the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center, affirmed that the above results were largely due to the contributions of KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders).

"Introducing and promoting Da Nang as a tourist destination through KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) has proven effective thanks to their large following. Therefore, every opinion, post, or image shared by KOLs has a high reach on social media and among users, thus making Da Nang more widely known," Ms. Tham observed.

Currently, the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center is developing a policy to attract KOLs, celebrities, and influencers to Da Nang before advising the city on its issuance.

Specifically, KOLs whose posts achieve high view counts and widespread reach will be recommended by the unit for year-end city awards, aiming to motivate KOLs to promote and introduce Da Nang as a tourist destination more effectively.

According to Ms. Tham, inviting KOLs is not done indiscriminately but is based on specific criteria such as the number of followers, positive social impact, and compliance with the law. All KOLs are vetted by the organization before collaboration.

In addition, based on the analysis and characteristics of each market, the Center will have different promotional solutions. Priority will be given to KOLs in the Southeast Asian and Korean markets, where young people are highly interested in social media.

For the European and American markets, promotional activities must still be carried out using traditional methods to ensure consistency and diversity.

Through images and reviews from KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), the Bay Mau coconut forest has become more widely known to domestic and international tourists. Photo: VINH LOC

According to Mr. Le Quoc Viet, Chairman of the Quang Nam Destination Club, using KOLs to promote tourism is not only a trend but has become an indispensable part of the sustainable tourism development strategy in many localities, including Da Nang.

"In the context of digital technology and the strong development of social media, promotion through KOLs and KOCs yields clear results thanks to their large followings. Every post and image they upload creates a ripple effect, especially with young tourists who frequently use social media," Mr. Viet analyzed.

It is predicted that when KOL solutions are implemented systematically, with the right target audience and market selection, and combined with the actual quality and effectiveness of tourism products, it will not only help increase the number of tourists but also elevate the brand of Da Nang as a destination on the international tourism map.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/hieu-qua-quang-ba-du-lich-qua-kols-3302840.html