Hue’s tourism sector to suffer losses from postponed festival

This will have a significant impact on Hue’s tourism sector due to the loss of some 500,000 visitors and artists. The number of tourists in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue will drop over fears of the Covid-19 outbreak as well.

Nguyen Van Phuc, deputy director of Thua Thien-Hue Tourism Department, discussed the issue after the provincial leaders decided to postpone the festival to ensure the safety of the locals and tourists.

Accordingly, there are two scenarios. If Covid-19 is brought under control soon, the 11th Hue Festival will be held on the occasion of the Vietnamese National Day (September 2). If complications arise, the event will take place in 2021, as part of the Hue Traditional Craft Festival.

According to Phuc, travel companies and hotels will suffer the most from the decline in the number of visitors to the area.

Cao Van Trung Vuong, director of Kingdom Tourist Co., remarked that most companies in Hue specializing in inbound tours have been affected by both the epidemic and the delay of the festival.

“In fact, the biggest problem is that guests have postponed their travel plans as they are worried about the epidemic,” said Ho Suong Lan, director of Viet Orchid Travel, adding that many companies have had no tour enquiries.

Previously, Hue Festival 2020, themed “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development; Hue: Always Something New to Discover,” was scheduled to be held from April 1 to 4.

In another development, the tourism department’s representative noted that if the outbreak ends in late March, tourism communication and promotion activities will start in April. The department aims to boost domestic tourism, which usually begins in late May. Moreover, businesses can promote outbound tours to offset losses.