Hanoi (VNA) – BetweenJanuary and August, Russian tourist arrivals in Vietnam surged 45 percentcompared to the same period last year, according to Russian news agency Sputnik.
The central coastal city of Nha Trangwelcomed 280,000 Russian in the first eight months, an annual increase of 220percent. The beach city has long been a favourite destination for Russians inthe country.
The volume of French, Italian, Germanand Canadian tourists to Nha Trang, in contrast, dropped by between 8 and 30percent.
In 2016, 450,000 people from Russiavisited Vietnam, about 50,000 more than forecast.
Direct flights connect the twocountries on a daily basis.
Maya Lomidze, Executive Director ofAssociation of Tour Operators of Russia, said Russians favour Asian beaches fortheir holidays.
Vietnamese and Thai tours were themost popular in Southeast Asia, she added.
Lomidze projected a record of 700,000Russians to visit Vietnam this year.-VNA