Not stopping at artistic values, cinema has long been a source of inspiration for trips. In the world, many destinations have stepped out of the screen to become tourism symbols, where tourists come not only to sightsee, but also to relive the emotions that have touched them through each film.
With the advantage of diverse landscapes, cultural depth and life stories rich in cinematic materials, Vietnam is considered a land with great potential for tourism associated with cinema.
Cinema has great potential for local tourism
In fact, cinema has a superior power compared to traditional forms of tourism promotion. A film can fully tell the story of the land, people and local life with emotion, making viewers want to directly set foot there. Therefore, many countries have considered cinema as a strategic tool in positioning tourism brands.
According to social media expert Nguyen Ngoc Long, the story of Korea with Jeju Island is a concrete example.
Before the Hallyu waves broke out, Jeju was just a pristine island, he said. But through a strategy of imbued with a talented culture, a series of films from Dae Jang Geum, All In to recently Our Blues or King the Land have turned this island into a love sanctuary of Asia. Korean corporations not only invest in making movies, they invest in the movie-based ecosystem.
Right after the film aired, the idol's footsteps' experience tours were immediately activated. Tourists coming to Jeju are not only to see the sea, they come to check-in right at the rock where the main character is sitting, eating the dishes the character has eaten. As a result, the value of real estate, resort services and retail in Jeju skyrocketed. Cinema here plays the role of a 'compressor' clearing the way for infrastructure investment and tourism to overflow".
Or with the global phenomenon Call Me by Your Name (2017), the film was filmed in the town of Crema or the Lombardy region (Italy) which was quietly nestled next to the splendid Rome or Venice. But after the film was released, a huge wave of tourists from around the world flocked here to participate in specialized set-jetting tours.
The upper class are willing to spend thousands of dollars just to ride a bicycle on the trail, sit at Piazza del Duomo or admire the Serio waterfall - where Elio and Oliver have passed. From a peaceful town, Crema has become an attractive tourist destination, attracting the development of the local accommodation and culinary system.
In Vietnam, many movies and TV series move audiences with the beauty of natural landscapes, customs, cuisine and the lives of local people.
Typically, the movie I see yellow flowers on green grass released in 2025, causing the number of tourists to the coastal area of Phu Yen (Dak Lak) to increase by 20 - 25%. The pristine long beaches, O Loan lagoon, Ganh Da Dia, Bai Xep or coastal villages have become popular destinations for many people. Visitors come here to see with their own eyes the clear, peaceful and poetic scenery.
Or the film "Red Rain" is "making waves" in the domestic market, opening a new development direction for Quang Tri tourism. Since the work was released, many audiences have expressed their desire to set foot in Quang Tri ancient citadel, to directly feel the historical space, where the fierce battles during the war were witnessed.
According to Ms. Cap Thi Thien Trang, Head of the Management Board of the General Secretary Le Duan Memorial Site and Quang Tri Ancient Town, the effect of the film has been quickly reflected in the number of visitors. In particular, during the recent National Day holiday on September 2, Quang Tri ancient citadel recorded nearly 10,000 visitors, showing the clear appeal of cinema to historical tourism.
These are compelling evidences showing that, if exploited properly and with synchronous coordination, cinema can completely become an effective tool to help many localities expand the space for tourism development, especially with cultural and historical tourism products.
Opportunities for community tourism development
Back in 2005, the movie Pao's Story was released, making the small house in Lung Cam village, Sa Phin commune, Tuyen Quang province an attractive destination for tourists. Visitors flock to check-in, explore the living space of the H'Mong people, learn about indigenous cultural life and experience the scenery of the stone plateau associated with emotional footage.
Gradually, from a poor ethnic village with few people moving in, Lung Cam became bustling. Instead of farming on the fields, local people have started to make a living by tourism, accommodation, handicraft and culinary products such as buckwheat cakes, scarves, silver jewelry, etc.
With the help of departments, branches, sectors and localities, the first community tourism training classes have been opened to people in Lung Cam. Tourists not only come and go, but also stay to eat, sleep, experience the work and life of local people. The community tourism model begins from there.
Today, the community cultural tourism village of Lung Cam village has become a familiar destination when coming to the Dong Van stone plateau. Many households participate in homestaying, selling handicrafts and experiential services, creating a stable source of income, contributing to improving their lives, while raising awareness of preserving traditional cultural identity.
Not only that, this model also spreads throughout the plateau and many other provinces and cities in the Northwest in particular and across the country in general.
From there, it can be seen that cinema not only helps promote the image of destinations, but also opens up directions for community tourism development if promptly oriented and supported. When people become subjects participating and benefiting directly from tourism, indigenous cultural values are better preserved, livelihoods are diversified and the development process takes place in a sustainable direction.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan, General Director of Flamingo Redtours travel company, assessed that the film industry in particular and culture in general have great potential to create opportunities for tourism development, especially community tourism.
From movies, tourists have the need to come to learn about the land, the people, the unique values of that destination, and use services and products related to that land. After experiencing the culture, visitors can buy products to bring back, thereby bringing benefits to people, localities and tourism service providers, said on Hoan.
However, Mr. Hoan said that the quality of tourism products associated with culture in general and cinema in particular in Vietnam is only exploited partially. That is, tourism products come from available raw materials, rarely being exploited in depth.
"We have not invested or researched but only combined local destinations to create a tourism product. We also do not have a marketing system, do not know how to use the available one to exploit it more deeply, creating new, more attractive products," said Mr. Hoan.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan emphasized that the exploitation of cultural and cinematic resources for tourism in many localities is still spontaneous, lacking a single focal point. The coordination between the government, service providers and tourism businesses is still loose, leading to a situation of "pushing responsibility" towards each other.
According to him, local authorities need to play a leading role, proactively invest initially in infrastructure, products and cultural spaces, thereby creating a foundation for businesses to participate in exploitation, instead of waiting for many customers to do it first.
Mr. Hoan also pointed out that the big gap in the development of cultural tourism today is the lack of systematic research on the market and core cultural values. Each customer group has different needs, requiring the product to be designed appropriately, avoiding superficial or theoretical approaches.
In addition, there needs to be serious screening to determine what is the true indigenous cultural value, avoiding concentration and excessive commercialization that disrupts an identity, causing long-term consequences for the tourism industry.
To improve the quality of community tourism products in the coming time, according to Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan, the most urgent thing is to have a comprehensive research program, clearly defining key products and investment focus, as a basis for orientation for businesses.
At the same time, the State and localities need to increase support in building, promoting, protecting products and training human resources. Only with a clear orientation, a pioneering business protection mechanism and a well-trained tourism team can cultural tourism and the community develop sustainably, Mr. Hoan emphasized.
