"Kong: Skull Island" may trigger tourism boom

Tours already available to landscapes shown in Hollywood hit.

Opening on March 10 in Vietnam, the Hollywood movie “Kong: Skull Island”, filmed in Vietnam, earned VND18.2 billion ($800,800) from 162,000 tickets sold, breaking all previous records with the highest grossing opening day ever in the country.

Globally, the movie recorded a box office of $12 million in its first two days. The UK, Russia, and South Korea had the most movie-goers.

In North America, it earned $3.7 million on the night of March 9 and was expected to bring in $18 million for Warner Bros on March 10.

Its talented young director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, was recently selected as Vietnam Tourism Ambassador from 2017 to 2020. “I am extremely honored and will help bolster the image of Vietnam in the world,” he said.

He told Channel News Asia that he believes the movie will do justice to Vietnam’s tourism industry, just like “The Beach”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, did to Thailand and “The Lord of the Rings” to New Zealand. “I hope people go and explore Vietnam and fall in love with the landscapes, the people, the culture and the food,” he said.

Many “Kong: Skull Island Tour” itineraries have been arranged by both international and domestic tour companies and found favor among local and foreign tourists. According to Hong Kong’s SCMP newspaper, just one day after the movie was released, the Exotic Voyages travel website launched a ten-day tour for travelers wishing to visit the sites featured in the movie. The price for the tour is around $ 2,055 per person.

Other travel companies have also taken the opportunity to invite travelers to Vietnam to enjoy the wonderful scenery appearing in the movie.

“Kong: Skull Island,” which stars Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson and John Goodman, is set at the end of the American War and was filmed on location in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, it was filmed in Ninh Binh, Quang Binh, and Quang Ninh (Ha Long Bay).

by Tue Lam / VET