Idyllic: A garden house in Phuoc Tich Village is among the popular tourist destinations in Thua Thien-Hue Province. — VNS Photo Phuoc Buu

THUA THIEN-HUE (VNS)  — Hue welcomed nearly 2 million visitors in the first nine months of this year, including 752,000 international tourists.

According to Thua Thien-Hue Province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the 1.9 million visits accounted for 80 per cent of the province's annual local tourism target, delivering VND4.6 million in revenue to the local budget.

The achievement has been linked to promotional and discount programmes implemented by local authorities, it said.

Thai nationals contributed the most to the influx of tourists, with visitors also coming from France, Australia, the UK and Germany.

Experts predict the reopening of local Phu Bai Airport last month – after a six-month closure for maintenance – will boost tourism numbers in the last three months of the year.

A visit of 30 tour operators including Saigontourist, Viettravel, and Ben Thanh Tourist was organized to examine tourism sites in the province.

Operators were able to see Hue style garden houses in Kim Long and Phuoc Tich, natural springs in Thanh Tan and taste famous local cuisines.

The operators pledged to offer more tourism products to include the sites. — VNS