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| Artists performed at Hue Symphony music night |
Significant opportunities
In the vast auditorium at the Song Huong Theater on one day in October 2024, as the stage lights illuminated the hall, nearly 1,000 spectators were captivated by Hue Symphony music night. Among them were not only local residents, but also many visitors who knew about the event and came, or booked tickets based on the tour itinerary.
Ms. Tran Nguyen My Kim, a visitor from Khanh Hoa, shared: “After doing some research, I found out that this is a music program, described as a unique musical dialogue between the East and the West, between the tradition and the modernity, combining a symphony orchestra and traditional musical instruments. It is a very new concept aiming to become a product serving visitors, so I booked a ticket to experience it.”
Music tourism is not a new type of tourism, but has become increasingly popular and developed in several countries, namely the United States, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand, etc. According to a statistic by the Future Market Insights, the global music tourism market is projected to reach $11.3 billion by 2032. This also confirms the growing demand for enjoying music combined with tourism.
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| Artists performed at Hue Symphony music night |
Compared to many other countries, the trend of combining music enjoyment with tourism in Vietnam is still relatively new, but is gradually gaining public interest and acceptance. This opens up new opportunities for tourism development in Vietnam in general, and Hue in particular, contributing to attracting an increasing number of international visitors and creating diverse nighttime tourism experiences for visitors.
In a recent interview with the press, Mr. Chu Anh Hung, Deputy Director of Hanoi Opera House, suggested that music tourism is a combination of enjoying entertaining music events with sightseeing and relaxation. This helps visitors unwind and enhance their spiritual lives. Vietnam is considered one of the countries with great potential for developing music tourism, as we have a rich and diverse culture that can combine music with cultural elements, cuisine, and natural tourism to create unique music tourism products.
Production Director of Hue Symphony music night, Chau Le, shared that by keeping up with trends, Hue Symphony is not just an ordinary music night but also a journey to explore music and culture. “We want to create a unique experience where the audience can feel the intersection of different musical cultures, while honoring the beauty of traditional Hue music. Through this, we hope to promote music tourism and diversify tourism services in Hue - which is already a major tourism center in the region,” affirmed Chau Le, the Production Director.
Effective exploitation
Thua Thien Hue has identified tourism as its spearhead economic sector. Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Provincial Department of Tourism, stated that in addition to focusing on developing the leading tourism type which is culture and heritage, the Ancient Capital's tourism sector is also investing in, expanding, and developing supplementary tourism products, including those following current trends.
Becoming a centrally-governed city, Hue will certainly attract a significant amount of resources and has great potential to become a unique cultural and artistic center of the country, with many programs combining tourism promotion activities with music and art performances in various forms. That would be the condition to promote music tourism.
In fact, the range of nighttime tourism services and products in Hue is still limited. While Hue has become less “going to bed early”, many visitors still have trouble finding nighttime activities when they are in Hue. Therefore, according to the leader of the Provincial Department of Tourism, maintaining and developing music programs, like the Hue Symphony, as a new nighttime tourism product for Hue to attract visitors when coming to the city is very meaningful; and local authority is very supportive. This will also affirm Hue's position not only as a heritage city, but also as a vibrant and dynamic cultural and artistic destination.
Music tourism in Vietnam, as mentioned, is still quite new. This novelty, on the positive side, creates a strong attraction but also comes with many challenges, especially the lack of experience in organizing international-scale music events. To promote the development of music tourism's potential, units need to focus on investment, particularly paying attention to the professionalism. To attract visitors, especially international ones, it is necessary to facilitate international artists and bands to perform under permitted conditions, especially idols of young people and artists with strong appeal.
The synergy between music and tourism is the factor for music tourism to enter life and develop. The coordination among music event organizers, travel agencies, and hotels must also be really smooth, aiming for long-term benefits. The immediate goal is to satisfy visitors to create a positive impression. Undoubtedly, tour prices also influence visitors' decisions; therefore, a mechanism is needed to ensure that music ticket prices within tours are reasonable, making it easier for visitors to choose and book tickets to enjoy music through tour packages.
Another crucial factor is the choice of venue. Beyond theaters and auditoriums, the current trend leans towards enjoying music in open and romantic spaces. Hue boasts no shortage of poetic locations with ample spaces. The challenge lies in the organization and coordination with relevant parties so as to ensure the best quality of sound, lighting, safety, and suitability for the audience.