According to the GSO, an estimated619,000 foreign tourists visited Vietnam this month, bringing the totalnumber of tourists in the first eight months of the year to 5.47million, a 12.2 percent year-on-year increase.
The figures showedthat the number of foreign tourists seeking leisure and entertainmentincreased by 10.5 percent year-on-year to 3.3 million while those onbusiness increased by 12.9 percent to 919,800, those visiting relativesincreased by 15.8 percent to 941,500, and those arriving here for otherpurposes leaped by 18.2 percent to 307,300.
The number of touristarrivals from most foreign countries and territories also increasedduring the first eight months of the year. Tourists from Hong Kong madeup the majority at 97.5 percent, followed by Germany at 83.3 percent,Russia at 27.1 percent and Spain at 24.3 percent. Visitors from Laosmade up 21.5 percent of the total while Cambodia made up 20.1 percentand the United Kingdom, 17.2 percent.
The total number ofdomestic tourists in the first eight months is also expected to have ayear-on-year surge of 6.9 percent to 30.1 million.
The tourismindustry gained a year-on-year increase of 20.4 percent in revenue to159.8 trillion VND (7.5 billion USD). The country expects to serve anestimated 8 million to 8.2 million foreign tourists and 37.5 milliondomestic tourists this year and earn 240 trillion VND (113 billion USD)in the process.
According to the Vietnam National Administrationof Tourism, the country is applying a 30-day visa exemption for citizensfrom nine of the 10 ASEAN member States.
Tourists from sevenother nations have likewise been granted a 15-day visa exemption. Asiannations covered by this exemption are Japan and the Republic of Korea,while Russia joins the European nations of Norway, Finland, Denmark andSweden in enjoying the same privilege.
An estimated 42 percent offoreign tourists to Vietnam so far came from countries enjoying thevisa exemptions, the administration said, and added that the exemptionswere expected to further increase the number of foreign visitors in thecoming months.
In line with this, the Ministries ofTransportation and of Culture, Sport and Tourism are proposing visaexemptions for visitors from France, Germany, Italy and Spain, as wellas the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India.
Touristsfrom Western European countries often go on spending sprees andextended stays in Vietnam. Australia and New Zealand are also seen aspotential markets for tourism companies during the lean season.
Canadais in the list of the top 15 leading international tourist markets toVietnam, and India is expected to become a potential market with itslarge population.-VNA