Flight bookings from UK to Vietnam surge

Foreign tourists walk along a beach in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, November 2022. (Photo:vnexpress) 

Hanoi (VNA) – Bookings for flights from the UK to Malaysia and Vietnam are up by more than 2,200% against early last year when both countries were still closed to international tourists, according to CNN, which cited data from travel service provider Flight Centre UK.

The rise was seen despite a sharp rise in airfares, with statistics showing a 25% increase in economy fares to Vietnam year on year, while airfares to Thailand are up 50%.

The number of international passengers going through Vietnamese airports in the first two months of this year reached 4.7 million, up 1,959% year-on-year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

Vietnam received 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, around 20% of pre-pandemic levels.

The country targets to welcome about 8 million foreign tourist arrivals this year.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said that to achieve this year’s target, the entire industry is determined to implement the Prime Minister's conclusion at the conference to promote attracting international tourists to Vietnam.

Accordingly, the sector will coordinate more closely with relevant ministries, especially the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, to create a favourable mechanism to welcome international tourists.

To attract international visitors, ministries, sectors, and localities must innovate and diversify products, he said, adding that the tourism authorities have just set a target that each locality must have a unique tourism product and pay more attention to regional linkages./.

VNA