“If I meet their (Indian billionaires) expectations and provide them with a worthwhile experience, they are willing to spend a lot of money. But even if it’s not innovative and doesn’t stand out, if it doesn’t meet their expectations, they will hesitate,” said Satish Ramnani, Director of Veydaa Events Company.
In 2023, India ranked 4th in the top 10 international markets visiting Da Nang. The total number of Indian visitors to the city is over 87,000, more than 5 times higher than before the pandemic (in 2019). Indian tourists account for 60% of the total number of Indian visitors to Vietnam, despite the fact that direct flights between Da Nang and major Indian cities have not been restored. Recently, Da Nang has been chosen as the venue for weddings by Indian billionaires. In the beginning of 2024 alone, there were many groups, each with hundreds of guests staying at luxury beach resorts.
A wedding ceremony of Indian billionaires in Da Nang in January 2024. Photo: Thanh Tran
Luong Van Trang, Director of Inbound Division at Vietnam Travelmart, said that his company regularly welcomes Indian wedding groups to Da Nang, with each group ranging from 500 to 800 people. They only choose the most luxurious hotels in the city. “These groups stay for about 10 days. The event team arrives first. Then the bride’s family, the groom, and the guests arrive at the end,” said Mr. Trang. His company has received two groups with nearly 1,000 guests this year.
The Da Nang Department of Tourism recently organized the Da Nang FantastiCity booth at the South Asia Travel and Tourism Expo (SATTE) 2024 in India. Nguyen Thi Hoai An, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, said that the booth promoted the attractiveness and trends of Da Nang. At the same time, it connected with airlines to strengthen partnerships and promote direct flights from India to the city.
David Ippersiel, General Manager of Sheraton Grand Danang Resort, said that Indian billionaires are willing to spend lavishly, even covering the cost of over 250 rooms at the hotel and an average of $300 per person per day for food and drinks. Not to mention, each wedding day is decorated with a specific theme and setting.
Satish Ramnani, Director of Veydaa Events Company, which is the pioneer in bringing Indian weddings to Da Nang, evaluated that Da Nang has many advantages over other destinations in Asia and in the country: it is new, has convenient transportation, a cool climate, and beautiful scenery. “Previously, billionaires used to have weddings in Thailand, Indonesia, and wanted to find a newer destination. If taken to Europe, it would be too far. In Asia, we surveyed many countries and found that Vietnam, specifically Da Nang, is the most suitable. The Indian upper class was very surprised that the city has a dense system of luxurious hotels, and recreational and shopping spots are also very close. Moreover, it is connected with Hoi An (Quang Nam) and Hue (Thua Thien – Hue),” Mr. Ramnani shared.
The Da Nang Department of Tourism sees this as a breakthrough market for the city in the tourism recovery phase and predicts that it will continue to grow in the near future.
Ready to open their wallets
According to Ramnani, for the Indian, weddings are extremely important events and they are willing to spend. When organizing weddings in Da Nang, they spend over $1 million per wedding. However, they are not easy to please. “I take Thailand as an example – it is the closest and also the most competitive destination to Da Nang. Billionaires will always ask why they should come to Da Nang if they can spend half of the amount in Thailand. If I serve and meet their expectations, providing them with a worthwhile experience, they are willing to spend a lot. But even if it’s not innovative and doesn’t stand out, if it doesn’t meet their expectations, they will truly reconsider,” he said.
A representative from a beach resort in Da Nang said that almost all hotels have to rent external sound systems, lighting, flowers, and fabrics to serve billionaire weddings. Each item is rented from a different place because there is no provider that can meet all the requirements. This issue is also understandable because no one dares to invest, fearing that if they invest too much and there are few events to rent, it will be difficult to recover the capital. The cost of renting these items is very expensive, not to mention that some of the billionaires’ requirements cannot be met. Meanwhile, in other countries, such as Thailand, they have many professional suppliers at a very low cost.
“We hope that the city can provide strong support for companies to invest in large and long-term projects. The city can support by offering preferential loans or encouraging policies to help companies feel assured to purchase equipment, machinery, and materials to provide comprehensive services for weddings, not only for the Indian market but also for many other markets,” he proposed.
