Thua Thien-Hue establishes new tourism department

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue on June 6 announced the Decision No. 35/2016/QĐ-UBND on the establishment of its Department of Culture and Sport and Department of Tourism.
Accordingly, the Thua Thien-Hue provincial Department of Tourism is a specialised agency under the management of the provincial People's Committee, established following the separation of the State management on tourism from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thua Thien-Hue.
The tourism department has a separate legal status, seal and account under the management on organisation, staffing and operation by the Thua Thien-Hue People's Committee, while simultaneously under the direction, guidance, and inspection of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism.
Similar to the Department of Culture and Sport, the Department of Tourism has the function of advising and assisting the provincial People's Committee to perform the State management function over tourism in the locality, while performing a number of tasks assigned or authorised by the provincial People's Committee and its Chairman on tourism.
According to Vice Chairman of Thua Thien-Hue People's Committee Nguyen Dung, the locality has a rich heritage with nearly 1,000 historical, cultural and revolutionary relics, as well as religious architectural monuments. In particular, the Complex of Hue Monuments has been recognised as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tourism industry in the province has affirmed its role and position as a major economic sector with steady growth and an increasing scale of operation.
During the 2010-2015 period, the number of tourists to Thua Thien-Hue recorded an average annual increase of 13%, reaching over 3.1 million visitors in 2015. The establishment of the department is necessary amidst tourism’s strong growth, and is consistent with requirements for local development.
Thua Thien-Hue set a target to welcomed 5.7 million visitors by 2020, including 2 million international visitors, with tourism revenue reaching VND6 trillion and an average growth of 12-15% during the 2016-2020 period.