The central province of Thua Thien-Hue welcomed nearly 1.8 million tourist arrivals in January-July, including 650,000 foreigners visiting the imperial city of Hue.

The local tourism sector earned over 1.6 trillion VND (74 million USD) thanks to the launching of a number of tours, focusing on eco-tourism, since the beginning of this year and the promotion of new tourism services and products, according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre Phan Thanh Hai said various programmes are underway to explore the Huong (Perfume) River and Nha Nhac ( Hue royal court music), which has been named by the UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humankind.

The centre will also launch a “Golden Tourism Month” from September 2-30 and a “Golden Tourism Week” from December 24-30 with discounts to be offered to those visiting the Hue relic site, which expects to welcome the 30 millionth visitor since it was recognised as a world cultural heritage in 1993 by the UNESCO, Hai added.

According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the One UN Funds has given a non-refundable aid of 230,500 USD through the International Labour Organisation and the UNESCO for sustainable tourism development in Vietnam , including Thua Thien-Hue province.-VNA