On a book street in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam welcomed nearly 3.7 million foreign tourists in the first four months of this year, or nearly half of 2023 plan, reported the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
With this encouraging result and travel demand on the rise, Vietnam sees great room to lure more international tourists in the peak seasons from now to the year-end, likely to achieve and surpass its goal of 8 million foreign visitors this year.
The Republic of Korea (RoK) will continue to be the biggest source of arrivals to Vietnam. As the two countries upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and the VNAT signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation for the 2023-2024 period with the Korea Tourism Organisation, the number of Korean tourists visiting Vietnam is expected to continue rising in the near future.
According to the VNAT, China ranks third in tourist arrivals to Vietnam and is predicted to recover at a faster rate than other markets due to its big population, with demand growing day by day since the country resumed outbound travel. Its recovery is expected to pace up from summer this year and accelerate in October and the final months of this year.
Australia and India are now well-positioned to increase the number of tourists to Vietnam as Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet recently opened direct flights connecting many major cities between the two countries. In Southeast Asia, Thailand and Cambodia are recovering well, equivalent to the pre-COVID-19 levels, and are forecast to continue maintaining growth momentum thanks to their proximity to Vietnam.
During its meeting in May, the Vietnamese National Assembly is scheduled to adopt a Resolution on new policies related to visas, immigration, and entry, including extending the e-visa validity period from no more than 30 days to no more than 3 months, for one-time or multiple entry; granting e-visas to citizens of all countries and territories; and increasing the duration of the temporary residence certificate at the border gate for people subject to unilateral visa-free entry from 15 days to 45 days. This will be an important driving force contributing to attracting foreign tourists to Vietnam in the coming time.
In Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)
The national tourism website https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn, https://vietnam.travel and social media platforms of the VNAT will continue disseminating tourism policies and strategies, as well as popularising the images of Vietnam and its people at home and abroad.
The VNAT will actively popularise Binh Thuan - the host of the National Tourism Year 2023, and many other important destinations with green, island and beach, golf and resort tourism products./.
