Other important markets include France, Germany and the UK.
The province, home to the capital of the last feudal dynasty in Vietnam, 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 VND 2.27 trillion (USD 98. 7 million) in tourism revenue.
    |
 |
|
Foreign tourists visit Dai Noi (Imperial Citadel) in Hue city |
However, the province has yet to have major shopping centers 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 Vietnam travel tour.
In early July, the Hue Monument Conservation Centre started to launch an art program 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 VND 4.2 – 4.3 trillion (USD 184.1 – 188.5 million.
Hue city in Thua Thien-Hue province is home to five UNESCO-recognized 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 Program), the imperial archives of the Nguyen Dynasty (part of the Memory of the World Program), and the Royal Literature on Hue Royal Architecture (part of Documentary Heritage in the Memory of the World Program in the Asia-Pacific region).
Source: VNA