Visitors from the Republic of Korea (RoK) accounted for one third of the 1.01 million foreign tourists to the central province of Thua Thien-Hue in the first half of this year, creating the largest market of the province’s tourism sector, statistics show.
Other important markets include France, Germany and the UK.
The province, home to the capital of the last feudal dynasty in Viet Nam, welcomed a total of 2.38 million tourists in the period, a rise of 36.36 percent over the same period last year.
In the January-June period, Thua Thien-Hue raked in 2.27 trillion VND (98. 7 million USD) in tourism revenue.
However, the province has yet to have major shopping centres and is currently lacking of Korean-speaking tour guides to serve holidaymakers from the RoK.
To attract more visitors, since the start of the year, Thua Thien-Hue hosted numerous events such as cultural festivals, notably the 10th Hue Festival, which took place between April 27 and May 2.
The province also took measures to restore its relics, while creating new qualified services, thus meeting increasing demand of visitors.
In addition, the provincial tourism sector has enhanced links with other localities in the region to ensure the operation of the Road of Heritage Sites in Central Viet Nam travel tour.
In early July, the Hue Monument Conservation Centre started to launch an art programme titled “Royal Inspiration” in Hue Imperial City by night and Change of Guards ceremony at Ngo Mon Gate, creating a highlight for the Hue Imperial Palace at night.
Vice Director of the provincial Tourism Department Le Huu Minh said that in 2018, the province will expand some areas on Truong Tien bridge to turn it into a cultural space at night.
A cultural space will also be established in Le Loi street, and more food zones and art activities arranged in Pham Ngu Lao, Vo Thi Sau and Chu Van An streets, he added.
The province recently launched a project to illuminate the Hue flag tower at night with 1,000 LED bulbs.
Thua Thien-Hue aims to attract 4 – 4.2 million visitors this year, up 10 – 12 percent, with about 40 – 45 percent being foreigners. It hopes to record a 15-percent increase in tourism revenue to 4.2 – 4.3 trillion VND (184.1 – 188.5 million USD
Hue city in Thua Thien-Hue province is home to five UNESCO-recognised heritages, namely the Complex of Hue Monuments (World Heritage Site), Nha nhac – Vietnamese court music (part of the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity), the woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty (part of the Memory of the World Programme), the imperial archives of the Nguyen Dynasty (part of the Memory of the World Programme), and the Royal Literature on Hue Royal Architecture (part of Documentary Heritage in the Memory of the World Programme in the Asia-Pacific region).