Enhancing the city’s appeal to celebrities
In Da Nang, the use of KOLs (key opinion leaders, social media influencers, and reputable experts across various fields) as a communication channel has been implemented over the past few years and has yielded positive initial results. The city welcomes around 25–30 KOLs each year from markets such as Viet Nam, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Singapore, engaging them in a wide range of activities.
Notably, Da Nang has increasingly become a favourite destination for international celebrities. Recently, stars including Lee Joon-gi, Lee Je-hoon, Jung Il-woo, singer Hyo Yeon (SNSD), the group aespa, along with tourism and sports KOLs such as Cho Eun-bi, Kim Hye-lin, and Kim Ah-ryong, have visited Da Nang to travel, film, take photos, and share their experiences with millions of followers.
International beauty queens have also been invited to the city to experience and promote the destination. Specifically, billionaire Bill Gates’ choice of Da Nang as his destination to visit in Viet Nam in March 2024 generated a strong media impact, opening opportunities to attract ultra-luxury travellers. Such content not only increases destination awareness but also stimulates searches and travel decisions through a “vicarious experience” effect.
Posts, video clips, reels, and vlogs about Da Nang shared by KOLs on social media are becoming increasingly common, especially during festivals and peak tourism seasons. These contents help boost engagement and sharing, while reinforcing the image of Da Nang as a dynamic, friendly, and highly appealing destination.
However, assessments indicate that there remain certain limitations in attracting KOLs to Da Nang. The city currently lacks flexible and compelling incentive policies, reducing its competitive edge compared with other destinations in the region. The role of local businesses in coordinating outreach, care, and support for KOLs has yet to be fully leveraged.
At the same time, invitations to KOLs tend to be short-term, tied to individual programmes or events, rather than integrated into a coherent communication campaign. Clear processes regarding rights, obligations, and communication requirements for invited KOLs — as well as for supporting partner businesses — have not yet been fully established.
The Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recently issued a programme to attract KOLs, KOCs, and content creators to experience and promote Da Nang during the 2025–2026 period, capitalising on their influence to amplify the city’s image.
According to Tan Van Vuong, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the plan aims to enhance Da Nang’s destination recognition on social media platforms to attract and diversify tourist markets through the influence of KOLs, KOCs, and other influencers both domestically and internationally, particularly in key and emerging markets.
The initiative also seeks to diversify communication channels, optimise budgets for tourism promotion, and contribute to the implementation of promotional plans to build Da Nang’s image as a modern and dynamic destination aligned with experiential tourism trends.
It is expected to help achieve the city’s tourism targets for 2025 and 2026, with an estimated 17.3 million accommodated visitors in 2025 and 19.4 million in 2026. Revenue from food services, accommodation, and travel services is projected to exceed 60 trillion VND in 2025 and 71 trillion VND in 2026.
Special policies for KOLs and KOCs in Da Nang
Among the support measures offered by Da Nang to KOLs, KOCs and digital content creators are return air tickets to Da Nang and accommodation at four- to five-star hotels. Participants will also be provided with guided tours, transportation, entrance tickets, dining, and cultural experiences. Support is extended to accompanying collaborators such as photographers and assistants.
Notably, KOLs and KOCs whose posts achieve more than one million views per post will be awarded certificates of contribution to the city’s communication and destination promotion efforts by the Da Nang People’s Committee. They will also be invited to major city events and to serve as speakers at workshops or communication-related events.
Participants will be given priority access to trial new tourism products and services upon their launch and may be honoured at the city’s year-end events or summary programmes.
To implement this “partnership” with KOLs, KOCs, and digital content creators, Da Nang requires participants to be individuals or independent groups with credibility and influence in fields such as tourism, gastronomy, music, fashion, fine arts, cinema, photography, lifestyle, beauty, sports, digital art/creation, creative cultural activities, and other areas related to social life, both domestically and internationally.
Priority is given to those who are active on popular social media platforms including Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Naver Blog, X, Weibo, Douyin, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Telegram, LinkedIn, Google Arts & Culture, Threads, or other platforms with international reach. Participants must have an appropriate follower base and engagement level with strong credibility or notable influence within their communities.
Preference is also extended to KOLs and KOCs from key source markets identified in Da Nang’s domestic and international tourism development strategy, as well as those with prior collaboration experience with relevant authorities. Tourism businesses and service providers joining the programme are encouraged to offer destination support, signature gifts, and related incentives.
KOLs and KOCs are required to publish at least one to three review posts, videos, or livestreams, depending on their category, and to share images, videos, and content from their Da Nang travel experiences on their social media platforms. Content must be positive, factual, and tagged with appropriate keywords as guided by Da Nang authorities.
They must also consent to allowing Da Nang City and media agencies to use their images, videos, and content for non-commercial tourism promotion across the city’s official channels (press, websites, social media, and publications) for a minimum of six months after the programme concludes.
KOLs and KOCs must maintain a personal image, style, and communication activities consistent with Da Nang’s tourism promotion orientation, comply with the law, and avoid controversies or negative information that could affect the destination’s image or the programme’s overall messaging.
Applications are received by the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre via the programme’s website or by email at: media@danangfantasticity.com.
