Golden bridge in Da Nang city (Photo:VNA)The author, Pattama Kuentak, described Vietnam as rich inhistory, vibrant in culture and cuisine, with striking landscapes frommountains in the North to beaches along the coast. The nation has become one ofthe favourite destinations in Southeast Asia.
According to the article, prior to the pandemic, in 2019,the country welcomed a record 18 million foreign visitors and generated totalrevenue of 32.8 billion USD from both domestic and international tourists.
However, tourism in Vietnam was put on pause in March lastyear when COVID-19 emerged. The government moved quickly to close borders andban international flights. Its decisive responses have paid off, as the countryso far has recorded only 35 deaths from just over 3,000 coronavirus cases, andits economy shows the most promising signs in the region.
The article cited recent figures from the General StatisticsOffice of Vietnam, which showed that revenue from tourism in the first quarterof this year totaled 1.34 million USD, down 60.1 percent year-on-year. Thenumber of tourists from travel agencies was 3.7 million, down 80.1 percent,while international arrivals decreased 78.7 percent.
The sharp decline in the numbers of both domestic andinternational travellers has sent ripple effects through the accommodation,food and beverage service sectors, causing a significant loss in revenue to 258million USD, down by 43.2 percent.
The majority of international tourists in Vietnam come fromAsian economies including Japan, China, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan (China), accounting foraround 80 percent of foreign tourism spending, according to a recent McKinseyand Company report entitled "Reimagining tourism: How Vietnam can acceleratetravel recovery".
The report suggested that with a strong zero-case-firstapproach to COVID-19, a resilient local market as well as proactive tourismcampaigns from the government, the sector should be able to recover topre-crisis levels in 2024./.
VNA
