Upswing in int'l tourists to Hue

According to statistics from tourist spots and local travel companies, international tourists visiting Hue rapidly increased in recent months, contributing to the total 1.4 million arrivals to the province in 11 months this year, representing 11.7% over the same period of 2009 – of which international visitors were mostly from Thailand and France, surging by 7.9%.
Mr. Phan Tien Dung, Director of Thua Thien Hue’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Hue is rated one of the most attractive destinations of Vietnam. The study was jointly carried out by experts, managers and researchers in line with the Vietnamese Institute for Tourism Development Research (ITDR).
A recent survey at four-star-hotels namely Mercure Gerbera, Century Riverside and Huong Giang showed that the int'l tourists accounted for over 50% of their total visitors. Owners of souvenir shops around the Hue relics also admitted that the number of foreign arrivals in the ancient capital is on the rise these days. Data from the Ancient Capital Relics Conservation Center of Hue indicated international arrivals to the relics so far increased by 8.74% while domestic arrivals were up 0.68%.
Between January and November, Thua Thien-Hue province received 1.36 million visitors, and earned tourism revenue of VND774 billion (US$39.69 million), up 11.7% and 20.4% on the year, respectively. This year, the province aims to welcome 1.5 million tourists with revenue rising 15% from last year.
In an overall picture, international arrivals to Vietnam in 11 months reached 4,600,285 representing a 36.5% growth. The tourism sector aimed to received 4.2 million oversea visitors in 2010, however, thanks to big effort of the sector, the performance has significantly improved. It is expected that the number would reach 5 million this year.
Thanh Pham (TITC)