Foreign visitors to an exhibition at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – More than 12.8 million foreigntourists have chosen Vietnam as their destination over the last 10 months, up22.4 percent year on year, according to the Vietnam National Administration ofTourism (VNAT).
The VNAT said on October 26 that the country haswelcomed over 1.2 million foreign visitors this month, rising 17.6 percent froma year earlier.
In the 10 months, it has seen increases in thenumbers of tourists from most markets, particularly the Republic of Korea (48.3percent), Finland (33.3 percent), China’s Hong Kong (29.6 percent), China (28.8percent), and Denmark (16.4 percent). Although Africa is not a major market,the number of arrivals from this continent has risen by 19.7 percent.
Meanwhile, holidaymakers from Laos have droppedby 15.7 percent and from Cambodia down 8.1 percent compared to the same periodlast year.
Domestic travellers totalled 67.9 millionbetween January and October, the VNAT noted, adding that the sector earned 505trillion VND (21.5 billion USD) from tourists in total, up 21 percent.
VNAT General Director Nguyen Van Tuan saidVietnam aims to attract 15 – 16 million foreign arrivals in 2018. The fourthquarter is a peak season for foreign tourists, so if the current growth rate issustained and there aren’t any sudden upheavals, the country will receive atleast 15.7 million foreign vacationers this year.
To attract more foreigners in the coming months,the VNAT has organised a tourism promotion programme in Nanning and Shenzhencities of China from October 22 to 27, he added.
In the national tourism development strategyuntil 2020, China is considered a key source of tourists. It has continuallyranked first among sources of foreign travellers to the Southeast Asian nation,accounting for 38 percent of total foreigners visiting here.
Tuan said the VNAT has also coordinated withsome agencies to launch a smart tourism portal at www.dulich.vtv.vn so as toprovide comprehensive information about Vietnam’s tourism and help users gainbetter travel experiences in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. -VNA
VNA
