Since being chosen to host a series of weddings of the super-rich couples from India and some other countries, Vietnam has gradually emerged as a promising destination for wedding tourism in the region. Wedding tourism is now identified as a potential niche market in the country's hospitality sector.
A wedding of an Indian couple at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Ha Long, Quang Ninh Province.
Wedding-based tourism can be defined as the tourist flows arising from participation in weddings that are held at a different locations from where the bride and groom, or just one of them, live. Instead of choosing hotels or wedding halls near their home, the couple invites guests to a domestic or foreign tourist destination to celebrate their weddings.
In Vietnam, the concept of "wedding tourism" began to be mentioned a lot after an Indian billionaire couple decided to choose Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province to hold a magnificent wedding in March 2019, with the participation of around 700 guests from many countries.
JW Marriott Phu Quoc, where this million-dollar wedding took place, has since become a favourite wedding tourist destination for many upper-class couples.
The hotel has won the “World’s Leading Luxury Wedding Resort" of the World Travel Awards - an award considered the Oscar of the tourism industry - for five consecutive years.
Along with Phu Quoc Island, the central coastal city of Da Nang is also proving to be one of Vietnam's outstanding destinations for wedding tourism.
Since the beginning of 2024, Da Nang has been continuously chosen as a wedding destination by super-rich Indian people.
Accordingly, in January, Sheraton Grand Danang hosted a wedding with nearly 500 guests. In February, a wedding took place at Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa with 200 guests. In early March, a wedding was held at Danang Marriot Resort and Spa with more than 400 guests.
Also in February, an Indian couple surprised their 600 guests by holding a glamorous wedding in Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh.
A wedding of an Indian couple at at Furama Resort in Da Nang city
Not only attracting international visitors, wedding tourism is also becoming a trend that many domestic celebrities are interested in.
These positive signals show the great prospects of this potential market segment.
Vietnam has full advantages to develop wedding tourism with many charming beaches, a rich heritage, high-end resorts, diverse cuisine, friendly people, and well-invested tourism infrastructure and services.
Along with Phu Quoc, Da Nang, and Ha Long, many other destinations such as Nha Trang, Hoi An, Sa Pa, and Da Lat are also ideal places to for wedding tourism.
Although it is a relatively new market, wedding tourism can bring significant benefits to Vietnam's hospitality sector, because those who go for wedding tourism often have abundant financial capacity and are willing to spend large amounts of money on the most important event of their lives.
Furthermore, weddings of foreign couples often have the participation of hundreds of guests from many parts of the world. In addition to using accommodation, dining, and enjoying shopping services at the chosen wedding location, many guests also plan to extend their trip to have more profound travel experiences.
It is not to mention that through the sparkling images shared by many wedding guests on social platforms, the image of the country, people, and culture of Vietnam also has the opportunity to be widely promoted online.
It is obvious that developing wedding tourism brings dual benefits in terms of both revenue and communication, thus helping to attract more visitors to Vietnam.
In recent years, many Asian countries, especially Southeast Asian countries, have focused on developing wedding tourism by seizing their advantages regarding natural and cultural resources and competitive organisation costs.
Vietnam, in particular, draws much interest from tourists from the Republic of Korea, Japan, China, and especially India, where the wedding industry itself reached more than 45 billion USD in 2022 and is poised to reach a staggering USD 100 billion by 2025.
Grasping this opportunity, Vietnamese localities which have strong advantages in wedding tourism, have keeping efforts towards to become favourite wedding destinations.
Da Nang City Tourism Department presents gift to an Indian couple whose wedding took place in Da Nang in January 2024
As a key tourism destination in the central region and boasting marine tourism advantages, Da Nang is becoming popular among many Indian couples. More than 20 wedding events of Indians have been held in this locality and neighbouring areas over the past two years.
In addition to coordinating with relevant parties to build a pilot program to attract regular wedding tourists, Da Nang City has announced the message ‘Where happiness begins’ in its marketing plan for the 2024-2025 period to establish Da Nang as an ideal wedding destination.
A representative of the Da Nang Department of Tourism said that wedding tourism is widely integrated in the city’s promotional activities, with a focus on the Indian market.
To leave a good impression on couples who choose Da Nang as a wedding venue, the city's Department of Tourism has deployed a series of welcoming activities, such as setting up a wedding welcome message on the LED screen at the immigration area at Da Nang International Airport and facilitating customs clearance of goods and luggage of guests attending the wedding ceremony; presenting flowers, souvenirs, blessings, and thanks from Da Nang City to the bride and groom's families; and staging traditional Vietnamese musical instrument performances at the wedding.
Viet Anh - Translated by NDO
