Concerts drive surge in travel demand
Among the international fans travelling to Hanoi was Luo Min Li, 28, from Chongqing, China, who arrived in Vietnam on October 21 ahead of the performances.
She planned to spend five to six days in the capital, combining the concerts with sightseeing, cultural experiences and local food.
Another Chinese visitor, Yin Miao, said she paid 3,000 yuan (VND 11.6 million) for her concert ticket and spent around 10,000 yuan (nearly VND 40 million) on her two-day trip.
Such spending extends beyond concert tickets to hotels, restaurants, transport and sightseeing, providing a boost to local tourism businesses.
According to figures released by online travel platform Trip.com in October, flight bookings to Hanoi for October 23-26 rose 74 per cent from a year earlier, while passenger numbers increased 76 per cent.
Travel demand for Hanoi across October was up 45 per cent on the platform.
Following the early release of concert tickets on August 14, flight and hotel bookings for trips to Hanoi surged to six times their daily average.
Some hotels within three kilometres of My Dinh Stadium were reported to have been fully booked as early as July 29. Room bookings for October 23-24 were around 15 times the daily average for the month.
Major sources of visitors included Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Seoul, Taipei, Nagoya and Busan.
Fans booked flights an average of 70 days in advance and hotel rooms 76 days ahead of their stays.
Accoridng to Nguyen Tien Dat, vice chairman of the Hanoi Tourism Association, the October 24-25 concerts could have a significant economic impact on the capital's tourism industry.
He estimated that tourism revenue during the two days could reach VND 650-800 billion, based on expected visitor numbers and spending.
His projection draws on Hanoi's experience hosting BLACKPINK concerts in July 2023.
According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the city received more than 170,000 visitors, including over 30,000 international arrivals, during July 29-30, 2023, generating an estimated VND 630 billion in tourism revenue. The two concerts attracted around 70,000 spectators.
Using average visitor spending of VND 3.7-4.2 million, Dat estimated that 175,000-190,000 visitors during the BIGBANG concert period could generate VND 650-800 billion.
He stressed that the figures were scenario-based projections, not official final results.
He also cautioned that not all tourism revenue during the period could be attributed directly to the concerts, as Hanoi attracts visitors regardless of major entertainment events.
Pham Hai Quynh, director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute, said concert tickets and merchandise represented only part of the economic benefits.
Spending by tens of thousands of fans on flights, hotels, food, transport and shopping could support a broad range of businesses.
Hotels and event organisers often benefit first, followed by airlines, transport operators, restaurants and retailers.
Travel companies could also gain by offering sightseeing and cultural experiences alongside concerts, encouraging visitors to extend their stays.
Quynh said BIGBANG's appeal demonstrated strong demand for international entertainment events in Vietnam, which could attract music-related tourism by combining major performances with cultural experiences and competitive travel costs.
How Vietnam could attract more concert tourism?
Regional destinations including Singapore and Thailand have adopted measures to attract major international performances.
Singapore has actively worked with concert organisers to secure events, including Taylor Swift's only Southeast Asian tour stop in 2024.
According to a Maybank estimate cited by The Business Times in February 2024, Swift's six concerts were projected to generate SGD 350-500 million in tourism receipts.
Thailand has also introduced incentives for qualifying large-scale events.
The Thailand Board of Investment has announced support for events with investment or organisational costs of at least 100 million baht, including import duty exemptions on event equipment and assistance with entry and temporary work procedures for foreign personnel.
Quynh said Vietnam could learn from the public-private cooperation models adopted by Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, while adapting them to its own transport infrastructure and crowd-management capacity.
He suggested flexible visa policies and integrated tourist passes combining public transport, heritage attractions and dining discounts for concert ticket holders.
Cultural festivals, street performances and night-time shopping activities could also encourage international visitors to remain in Hanoi for an additional two or three days.
Dat said the tendency of concertgoers to book flights and accommodation well in advance offered opportunities for travel companies to develop specialised packages.
He proposed exploring agreements under which authorised travel companies could distribute around 5-10 per cent of concert tickets as part of travel packages for domestic and international visitors.
The tickets would be sold only within packages rather than separately, helping prevent speculation and inflated resale prices.
He added Hanoi should incorporate international concerts into a broader strategy for event tourism and cultural industries, supported by a predictable calendar announced well in advance.
Travel packages could include three-day or four-day stays, airport transfers, concert transport, heritage tours, dining and shopping.
Hanoi would also need to improve public transport, parking, signage, services for international visitors and traffic management after major events.
He also called for a more systematic approach to measuring the economic impact of major events.
