Dragon dance performances serve visitors in the Citadel during the spring days. Photo: Bao Minh

Changing comprehensively

Fifteen to twenty years ago, the thought of those who were working in the tourism industry was that Hue had a series of heritages, temples, tombs, so that there was no need to do anything but tourists would keep coming to Hue. This idea was only appropriate when the concept of tourism was still new, and Hue was one of the best tourist attractions of the country at that time. Also because of that thought, over the years, Hue has not changed much for the long-term development; it has lacked steps to develop when the demand for travelling becomes more diverse.

The managers of the tourism industry admitted that for a long time Hue had been too passive, and lacked planning and market research activities to catch up with the development. In addition to the subjective factor, there is another big difficulty that makes it difficult for Hue to implement "strategic" projects when Hue is a heritage site, so any thing done must also comply with the Heritage Law and the binding rules of UNESCO.

Mr. Le Huu Minh, Acting Director of the Department of Tourism, admits that that thinking belonged to the past, and now, the perception of the tourism industry has changed, and along with that are the changes in products, projects, and infrastructures in recent years. In order to plan for the future of Hue tourism, the tourism industry affirms that tourism is changing rapidly after a long period of declining. More tourists have come; Hue has become more bustling, with more products, and even the problem of night time entertainment is somewhat resolved.

Giving a speech at the summing-up conference of the tourism industry in 2017, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Cao said that with its development for such a long time, Hue tourism at present cannot have as rapid growth rate as other places which have just started their tourism industry.

Over the past time, Hue tourism has received many compliments as well as critical remarks. However, according to the overall evaluation in 2017, tourism service has many remarkable results, contributing substantially to the economy of the province, up to 57% of GDP of the province. Growth indicators, quality, products, and professionalism of this sector have shown that changes are not small at all.

Mr. Vu Hoai Phuong, Rector of Hue College of Tourism, shared that, with the development cycle of the destination, what Hue has to do is to have the best preparation for the new development cycle. Hue needs to have short-term as well as long-term plans to develop suitable products.

There will be a new development cycle

What is good about Hue tourism is that the speed of urbanization and development does not disrupt the natural landscape. Hue tourism has developed without causing serious problems, as Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said early 2018 when visiting Hue. Compared with other regions, Hue tourism is completely different; Hue’s development is slower but more sustainable.

In the Prime Minister’s conclusion after his visit and work with the province in early 2018, there were eight issues, five of which directly related to tourism. The first is the approval to increase the capital of the Laguna project up to USD 2 billion, with the entertainment complex, Casino, etc. The second is to add two golf courses; Hue will have a series of five courses. The third is the overall planning for Bach Ma. The fourth is to upgrade and expand Phu Bai International Airport. The fifth is to relocate houses which are close to the relics. The government will provide some funding, along with the budget from the monument fees, for the relocation.

Visiting Hue by cyclo

A series of projects for tourism will also be set up from now to the next three years. In the Citadel, there will be a greater art-performing program which is history and royal court based, and held regularly to serve tourists. Le Loi street is renovated and linked to the pedestrian streets, Truong Tien bridge, Dong Ba market, and Trinh Cong Son park. A Culinary Museum will be built in front of the provincial Centre of Sports. Upon arrival, tourists not only visit but also experience and enjoy the diverse cuisine of Hue.

The cinema and sports complex is taking shape to meet the tourists’ needs of nightlife entertainment. The National Cinema Center is set to kick off on To Huu Street. Boats on the Huong River are redesigned, more diversified and safer. The area of the old brewery factory will be used for the establishment of a logistics service center for tourism development. Other activities has come into operation, such as the flagpole lighting, the mighty cannons firing, etc.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee believes that those are all very important factors to create a "push" for tourism development. Thereby, businesses will see the trend and development of Hue in the coming time. In about three more years, when the airport is upgraded and put into operation, it is certain that more visitors will come to Hue and stay longer.

Story and photos: Duc Quang