Foreign travellers to Thua Thien-Hue rise 17.7 percent in H1 hinh anh 1Visitors to the Hue Imperial Citadel in Hue city, Thua Thien-Hue province (Photo: VNA)

Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – Nearly 1.2 million foreigners chose the central province of Thua Thien-Hue as their holiday destination in the first half of 2019, up 17.7 percent year on year.

They were among the more than 2.4 million visitors to the province during the period, up 4.6 percent, statistics showed.

The growth in the tourist numbers is partly attributable to the province’s efforts to develop tourism such as organising festivals, cultural activities and sports events, along with accelerating service projects.

It has been successful in decorating the Hue Flag Tower with artistic lighting, opening Dai Noi (Imperial Citadel) at night, and performing royal music at Duyet Thi Duong (Royal Theatre). These relics are part of the Complex of Hue Monuments, a UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage site.

Meanwhile, the Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2019 from April 30 to May 1 attracted 400,000 visitors. This event also featured traditional handicrafts of Japan, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, and China and drew the participation of 70 artisans from these countries.

To further promote tourism, Thua Thien-Hue is upgrading its website and connecting it with others of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vietnamese localities and foreign cities that have tourism cooperation with it so as to popularise local images.

Aside from tours of the Complex of Hue Monuments, local travel companies are developing green tourism by offering those to local natural landscapes, homestay services with accommodations completely using solar energy, or trips with gardening activities.

Marine tourism has also been emerging as a favourite choice for visitors when they come to the province, which is home to many beautiful beaches like Thuan An, Lang Co, Canh Duong, Vinh Thanh, Ham Rong, Hai Binh and Phu Dien.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Tourism Nguyen Van Phuc said green and marine tourism has become a magnet for foreign travellers to Thua Thien-Hue. Apart from helping to protect the environment, the development of these types of tourism has also generated practical benefits, including creating jobs and improving income for locals. -VNA
VNA