Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Tourism Nguyen Van Phuc said the welcome ceremony is part of a series of activities this year to popularise Vietnam, its country and people and Thua Thien-Hue in general.
Tourists later visited Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An.
Last year, Thua Thien-Hue welcomed more than 134,000 tourists and crewmen aboard Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Tui Cruises, Costa Criere, Viking Ocean Cruises, Small Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, introducing them to Hue heritage sites and destinations in the central region.
The provincial tourism sector strives to welcome 4.5-4.7 million visitors in 2019, up 8 percent from 2018, 40-45 percent of them are foreigners.
