The central province of Thua Thien - Hue has issued a plan focusing on developing tourism and services to become a key local economic sector, thus turning Hue into one of the top destinations in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
The programme has set the target of building Thua Thien - Hue into a destination on par with other world cultural heritage cities.
Accordingly, the province strives to attract over 5 million visitors, of which 3-3.5 million staying overnight, increasing on average by 12-15% per year; international visitors reaching 2.5 million, an average increase of 13% per year; and tourism turnover reaching about VND6 trillion.
By 2030, tourism-services will contribute over 55% of the provincial GDP, attracting more than 7 million visitors, including 3.5 million international visitors; tourism revenue has been estimated at VND18-20 trillion.
To achieve the above-mentioned plan, the province must focus on improving the quality of its existing products, with special focus put on cultural heritage products; building new products that are both distinctive and competitive; and gaining steady growth in terms of the number of visitors and a sharp increase in tourism revenue via high-end customer markets and high expenditure by focusing investment and improving the quality of high-end tourism services.
The province plans to mobilise more resources to invest in establishing night time tourism services in Hue Imperial City and neighbouring areas; diversifying services in the Imperial City; exploiting the values of An Dinh Palace for tourism development associated with conservation; and strongly developing tourism services on Huong (Perfume) River and its two banks, as well as connecting the chain of museums on Le Loi Street to create an art-cultural space serving tourism.
The locality is also investing in shopping and entertainment centres and nightclubs with cultural performances, art and food experiences at Pham Ngu Lao - Vo Thi Sau - Chu Van An Streets, while improving the quality of traditional tourism products in Hue such as Hue royal court music, Hue folk songs and folk games, as well as ethnic minority culture to serve tourism development.
Medical tourism is also another focus in My An, Thanh Tan and Thanh Phuoc hot springs, plus attracting investors to build high-end tourism areas and services of high class in lagoon and coastal areas of Bach Ma and Chan May - Lang Co and forming community-based eco-tourism in localities with great potential for development.
The province will upgrade its transport infrastructure to connect Hue city with Thuan An, Vinh Thanh, Vinh Xuan and some other nearby beaches to link heritage tourism with sea tourism, while mobilising resources and calling for foreign investment in upgrading Phu Bai International Airport, opening more flight routes linking Hue to other international cities, and building Chan May port into an international tourism seaport.