The trend leader
According to the "Research and analysis of tourism market trends 2024" of the Appota Pay platform, 91% of Vietnamese tourists choose tourism services based on recommendations and reviews from content creators on social networks; 61% of Vietnamese tourists trust unknown content creators.
Thanh Nga (30 years old, Hanoi) said that before each trip, she often goes online to find information and clips about destinations shared by content creators.
The female tourist said: "I often watch introductions and videos on TikTok, Facebook... by KOL, a travel blogger sharing about the destination. From there, I will choose beautiful photo angles, travel tips, interesting dishes and activities to experience for myself.
Talking with Lao Dong, Mr. Bui Van Manh - Director of Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Tourism, highly appreciated the importance of content creators in tourism.
Mr. Manh said that Ninh Binh is one of the first provinces to make clips posted on TikTok, earning hundreds of millions of views. Every year, Ninh Binh also organizes to invite KOLs, bloggers, TikTokers... to visit, experience, film clips to share on social media platforms and networks. This is a form of cooperation with the goal of maximum support for KOLs and celebrities to promote tourism in the province, said Mr. Manh.
Not only Ninh Binh, other provinces and cities such as Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi... have also actively promoted cooperation, called on KOLs, travel bloggers... to promote local tourism through short-form videos such as TikTok, Reels or YouTube Shorts..., bringing positive results.
Exploiting the role of a storyteller
According to social media expert Nguyen Ngoc Long, KOLs, travel bloggers... play the role of storytelists in the digital age. Taking advantage of these factors to promote and boost tourism not only domestically but also internationally is an irreversible trend.
Mr. Long commented: In the age of speed, where users only spend a few seconds deciding whether to continue watching or not, short content becomes a fire extinguished to ignite travel curiosity. And it is KOLs and Travel bloggers who keep the watch - they breathe life into seemingly normal scenes, turning personal experiences into community stories.
Today's travel content creators not only film scenes but also tell stories through emotions, personality, and the ability to create images. They have the ability to inspire tourism not in the style of dry handcuffs but in a very intimate style. It is the familiarity and practical experience that makes viewers believe and want to imitate, thereby forming a travel decision.
Experts say that taking advantage of this group of storytellers is a wise strategy, but it must be accompanied by correct understanding and proper cooperation. "There should be a resonance between the parties: Province - business - storyteller (KOL, blogger...) - community. For example, a province/city chooses a theme that is attractive enough, cooperates with KOL to open up, then creates conditions for tourists to continue their stories through competitions, challenges, hashtags... Thus, the campaign is not only a short-term communication but becomes a community wave, said Mr. Long.
In addition, Mr. Long suggested that it is not necessary to only invite KOLs who are overseas Vietnamese or famous travel bloggers abroad to promote Vietnamese tourism internationally. Instead, you can combine local KOLs with foreign storytellers, bringing them to the same experience, and telling them in the unique language of each community.
Maybe they use English, Korean, Japanese - as long as the way they tell touches the emotions of viewers in their homeland. Such campaigns are globalized but still maintain the local spirit - something that modern digital media really needs, this expert affirmed.
