Perspectives on Heritage Tourism - Seameo-SPAFA
Perspectives on Heritage Tourism - Seameo-SPAFA
Perspectives on Heritage Tourism - Seameo-SPAFA
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<str<strong>on</strong>g>Perspectives</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>Heritage</strong> <strong>Tourism</strong><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>Perspectives</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>Heritage</strong> <strong>Tourism</strong><br />
hand, “blue drag<strong>on</strong>” and the right-hand “white tiger”, protecting<br />
the capital. The nearby Ngu Binh mountain acts as a “screen” for<br />
the emperor and royal palaces in the Imperial City. Because of the<br />
importance of these natural landmarks, they were given soul, and<br />
were regarded as mystical characters that ensure the success and<br />
happiness of the m<strong>on</strong>arch.<br />
The Hue Citadel complex of m<strong>on</strong>uments is a remarkable accomplishment<br />
of man-made c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong>, and covers the royal palaces<br />
of the Nguyê˜ns, the royal tombs that the Nguyê˜n kings chose as<br />
their final resting place, various temples or shrines, gardens and<br />
houses of former high-ranking mandarins of the Nguyê˜ns, etc.. The<br />
Perfume River running through the city serves as its natural spinal<br />
axis from the western mountains to the eastern beach. Upstream,<br />
the royal tombs of the Nguyê˜ns are scattered al<strong>on</strong>g the waterway,<br />
thus the river acts as the water element in the comprehensive<br />
applicati<strong>on</strong> of geomancy in the entire site. With Hue’s natural<br />
and man-made comp<strong>on</strong>ents, the complex is seen as “an imposing<br />
capital to dem<strong>on</strong>strate magnificence and power” (Phan Thuan An<br />
2002: 355).<br />
visitors rose dramatically from 94,000 to 870,495 within the same<br />
period.<br />
The heritage of Hue became the core of local tourism development,<br />
and c<strong>on</strong>tinually c<strong>on</strong>tributes significantly to local GDP. The annual<br />
profit from tourism increases by an average of about 65 percent.<br />
Turnover from entrance tickets to the Hue m<strong>on</strong>uments al<strong>on</strong>e<br />
increased from 19.7 billi<strong>on</strong> VND (Vietnamese d<strong>on</strong>g) in 2000 to 79<br />
billi<strong>on</strong> VND in 2008 (Table 1: Turnover from entrance ticket of Hue<br />
m<strong>on</strong>uments during 2000-2008).<br />
The state of a site has c<strong>on</strong>sequences <strong>on</strong> the quality of tourism<br />
because heritage tourism highlights and relies <strong>on</strong> a site’s cultural<br />
and historical significance. As such, tourism development, as in<br />
the case in Hue, is <strong>on</strong>e of the motivati<strong>on</strong>s for heritage preservati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
The fr<strong>on</strong>t view of Hue Citadel<br />
(Hue M<strong>on</strong>uments C<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> Center, 1999, pp.6-7)<br />
With widespread recogniti<strong>on</strong><br />
of the cultural<br />
value of Hue, particularly<br />
with its inclusi<strong>on</strong> in the<br />
World <strong>Heritage</strong> List, opportunities<br />
for tourism<br />
grew. Domestic visitors<br />
numbering 149,000 in<br />
1993 jumped to 855,987<br />
in 2008, while foreign<br />
Table 1: Turnover from entrance tickets of Hue m<strong>on</strong>uments from 2000-2008<br />
(source: Hue M<strong>on</strong>uments C<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> Center)<br />
54<br />
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