The golden tourism week with big discounts to attract tourists to the ancient imperial city of Hue , the central province of Thua Thien-Hue , which closed on December 30, is a big success, according to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

During the week, the site welcomed nearly 30,000 tourists, including 21,300 foreigners.

The week brought in revenue of 2.2 billion VND, bringing the total revenue from entrance tickets to 126.2 billion VND, a year-on-year increase of 20.6 percent.

Over 2 million tourists come to Hue each year, raking in more than 100 billion VND (4.7 million USD) for the local tourism sector. The complex of royal palaces and tombs was recognised by U NESC O as a world cultural heritage in 1993.

Earlier, the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre and the Thua Thien-Hue provincial Tourism and Hotel Associations held a meeting on December 29 to exchange views on how to uphold the values of relics in the imperial city to attract tourists.

According to Doctor Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the centre, the agency offered such services as souvenir shops, tram cars, horse carriages, art performances in Dai Noi (the citadel’s inner city), and Minh Mang, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh mausoleums between 2003-2013, bringing in revenue of 61.5 billion VND which was used for preservation work.

Participants warned against the commercialisation of the relic, and stressed that beside State investment, other sectors should be encourage to get involved in providing good services for visitors.

Individuals and organisations involving in the tourism sector promised to cooperate with the province in preserving the relics.

The centre fulfilled its target of receiving 2 million visitors to the city on December 24.-VNA