Since presale and official tickets for the 8Wonder Music Festival, scheduled to take place at the Vinpearl Nha Trang complex on July 22 evening, online room booking platform Agoda has recorded a surge in searches for accommodations in the coastal city of Nha Trang in central Khanh Hoa province, by 80% from domestic users and 25% in total.

The festival features US pop star Charlie Puth and many famous Vietnamese singers, namely Ha Anh Tuan, Ho Ngoc Ha, HIEUTHUHAI, MONO, Tlinh, Amee, and DJ Mie.

The Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper cited Tran Minh Duc, Vice Chairman of the Nha Trang Tourism Association, as saying that this festival is a pioneer event in combing music with a leading tourism complex, helping draw more visitors to Khanh Hoa.

Nguyen Huy Hoang, Managing Director of Klook Vietnam – a travel experiences booking platform, said that international music events are important to tourism in any country as they grab the interest of not only fans in that country but also those from around the world.

Recent international music shows in the region have witnessed long queues of fans waiting to hunt tickets, indicating a strong connection between those events and tourism, he noted, adding that visitors come to a destination to enjoy a music show and also explore local destinations and culture.

Aside from the 8Wonder Music Festival, businesses are also holding a number of other interesting events such as the “Canh dieu” (Kite) film awards presentation ceremony at Vega City and the Hong Kong - Nha Trang yacht race, said Director of the Khanh Hoa provincial Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Le Thanh.

Travel companies and tourism authorities are working together to advertise attractive tourism products and events to both local residents and visitors. These activities help not only increase the number of visitors but also extend their stays and encourage their spending, she added.

A representative of the 8Wonder Music Festival organising board said this world-class music show is the first step to help develop Vietnam into a destination of international music events and festivals. The success of the festival with the presence of Charlie Puth will be a prerequisite for the organisers to consider holding more similar international-level events annually.

Vietnam is completely able to become a promising destination for global stars during their tours, the representative noted.

Meanwhile, Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Deputy General Director of tourism firm Vietravel, pointed out that public - private partnerships are necessary to turn music and sport programmes into successful tourism products. Capable businesses still needs support from ministries, sectors, and localities hosting those events to create truly attractive events./. VNA