Illustrative image (Source: VNA)
Vietnam has seen an increase in the number of tourist arrivals in recent months, ending the declining trend seen since the beginning of this year.
The remark was made by Nguyen Van Tuan, Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), at a meeting of the Tourism Consultative Council (TCC) in Hanoi on October 1 with the assistance from the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme sponsored by the European Union (EU-ESRT).
He said from July to September, international tourists increased monthly in comparison with a 12 percent drop seen in the first six months.
In the first nine months of 2015, the country welcomed nearly 5.7 million tourists, down 5.9 percent year-on-year.
The number of visitors from China, Thailand and Laos to Vietnam decreased by an average of around 20 percent. Cambodia has had the sharpest fall of 40 percent.
Statistics showed a sharper decline in the number of tourists entering Vietnam by road with short stay than those who stay longer and spend more.
Meanwhile, domestic tourists rose by 9 percent to 48.8 million in the nine-month period, contributing to a 2.8 percent growth in the country’s tourism revenues.
According to Tuan, in the past nine months – the first phase of the implementation of the Government’s Resolution 92 on measures to boost Vietnam’s tourism development, the VNAT implemented many activities, including visa exemptions for citizens of five European countries and Belarus.
The agency is applying for visa exemptions for 19 more countries and proposing the establishment of a tourism-support fund.
With the assistance from the EU-ESRT, the VNAT will boost promotion activities in the European market and coordinate with Vietnam Airlines to facilitate press conferences in Singapore in October and at the World Travel Market in London on November as well as in Hong Kong (China) and Bangkok (Thailand), he said.
It is working closely with EU-ESRT experts to update and revise the current Tourism Law in an effort to improve the integration and competitiveness of Vietnam’s tourism sector, he added.
At the meeting, Tuan and TCC Chairman Tran Hung Viet signed a cooperation agreement under which the TCC will assist the VNAT in trade fairs and exhibitions, tourism exploration trips, public relations and e-marketing.-VNA
