The number of tourists to Hue Imperial city in central Thua Thien-Hue province in the first six months of 2018 was estimated at 1.7 million.

Hue Imperial city. (Photo: Internet)

The former capital of Vietnam received 1.1 million foreign tourists, a 37.15 per cent increase from the same period last year, while also catering to 548,947 domestic tourists, up 0.33 per cent. The information was announced by Hue Monuments Conservation Center (HMCC) at a press conference.

According to Phan Thanh Hai, Director of HMCC, the city launched various activities to promote tourism. In which, Hue Imperial city mobilised social sources to light up its streets and tourist destinations at night during weekends and holidays to lure more visitors.

Hue installed about 4,000 LED light bulbs to increase luminous efficiency and save electricity. Up to 12,000 remaining bulbs need to be changed and 5,000 new ones will be added to the city’s parks, along the Huong river and new residential areas.

In addition, HMCC launched a virtual reality tour for visitors. Hue imperial city is the first heritage site in Vietnam and one of three sites in the world to deploy the advanced technology to serve visitors, together with two other sites in China and South Korea.

In 2017, Thua Thien-Hue received 3.8 million visitors, a 16.6 per cent increase from the previous year. A remarkable aspect of this growth was a 42.5 per cent increase in the number of international visitors.

Tourism earnings rose 10 per cent to VND 3.5 trillion (USD 154 million) in 2017, helping the sector’s social revenue, meaning earnings of other sectors servicing tourists, reach VND 8.8 trillion (USD 387 million)./.

VNF/Hanoitimes