Durian festival in Vietnam’s Central Highlands draws 16,000 int’l visitors, sets 3 records

The festival generated more than VND1.295 trillion (US$49.7 million) in tourism-related revenue from August 14 to September 2, according to a report released by the Dak Lak Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday.

Held from August 15 to September 2 under the theme “Dak Lak Durian – Connecting for Greater Reach,” the festival featured 18 activities.

The festival drew 734,000 domestic visitors. About 275,000 visitors stayed overnight, accounting for 36.67 percent of the total.

Accommodation services accounted for around VND330 billion ($12.6 million), food and beverages VND485 billion ($18.6 million), and entertainment, shopping, transportation and other services VND450 billion ($17.2 million).

Visitors who stayed overnight generated an estimated VND825 billion ($31.6 million), while day-trippers and those attending festival activities accounted for around VND470 billion ($18 million).

The festival also generated significant online exposure, with more than 11,000 posts from 48 media organizations and 50 domestic and international KOLs generating over 64 million views across social media platforms and more than five million Google search results.

One of the festival’s highlights was the establishment of three records.

A convoy of 525 pickup trucks carrying more than 100 metric tons of durian set a Guinness World Record for the longest pickup-truck convoy carrying durians.

Two Vietnamese records were also established: the country’s largest durian basket-shaped model, standing 18 meters tall and displaying more than two metric tons of fresh durians, and the largest number of durian dishes prepared and presented at a single event in Vietnam.

Dak Lak durians also saw strong sales through digital commerce.

Eight communes participated in a program in which KOLs and KOCs sold durians online. Nearly 262 metric tons of durians were sold through livestream sessions, generating more than VND20 billion ($766,623) in sales.

An auction of durians from a garden in Krong Pac featured a batch of nearly 350 metric tons, with a total value of around VND23.8 billion ($911,503).

Overall, an estimated 600 metric tons of durians were sold during the festival, with sales worth around VND44 billion ($1.7 million).

The festival also helped establish longer-term economic connections. 

At a forum on durian sales, nine memoranda of understanding on developing the durian value chain were signed, with a combined value of nearly VND9 trillion ($344.7 million).