Thua Thien – Hue (VNA) – The Hue imperial relicsite in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue served more than 3 millionvisitors in 2017, earning over 320 billion VND (14 million USD), 22.05 percenthigher than the plan.

In the three-day New Year holiday from December 30, 2017 toJanuary 1, 2018, the site welcomed nearly 31,000 tourists, of which 80 percent wereforeigners.

The Republic of Korea was the biggest source market, with207,783 visitors to the site, accounting for 25.5 percent. It was followed byFrance (9.6 percent), the UK (6.2 percent), the US (5.9 percent); and Germany(4.1 percent).

Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre Phan ThanhHai said, in recent years, the Hue imperial relic site has welcomed more andmore tourists, reflecting its attractiveness, particularly the signature tourof  “Hue-One destination- Fiveheritages”, including the complex of Hue ancient capital, Hue royal court music,moc ban (wood blocks) and chau ban (royal official documents) of the NguyenDynasty, and poetry in Chinese-language scripts on Hue royal architecture whichwas recognised as world documentary heritage by UNESCO.

In 2017, the centre launched the programme “DaiNoi by night”, serving 28,000 tourists, and generating over 3 billionVND (132,000 USD).

It also earned over 16 billion VND (704,000 USD) fromservices offered at the site in the year.

Over 176 billion VND (7.74 million USD) was spent on upgradingand maintaining the site’s landscapes, such as Tang Tho palace, the Temple ofLiterature, Truong Co tomb, and the Hon Chen shrine. Nearly 150 billion VND(6.6 million USD) has been disbursed, accounting for 84.97 percent of its plan.

The centre welcomed 21 international delegations to the culturaland historical exchanges held in the year, with the highlight of the visit ofthe Japanese Emperor and Empress to the Hue ancient citadel.

International cooperation was also strengthened in upgradesand maintenance work.

In 2018, the provincial tourism sector hopes to welcomebetween 4 – 4.2 million visitors, of which foreigners make up of 40-45 percent,up 10 percent and 12 percent from 2017, respectively, generating 4 – 4.2trillion VND (176 million – 184.8 million USD).-VNA