Vietnamese tourism came second in the “Go Asia Award – Most popular destination in Asia” at Germany ’s 2013 International Tourism Exchange (ITB) Berlin , according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) on March 12.

The award reflects the outcome of an annual online poll conducted by Go Asia ( www.goasia.de ).
Thailand came top of the poll, with Singapore in third position.

Go Asia, founded in 2003, is a network that specialises in marketing Asia as a destination for travellers. With more than 3,000 small- and medium-sized German enterprises in tourism, the network aims to promote Asia in German-speaking regions through joint marketing activities.

The prize will help Vietnam meet its 2013 goal of 7.2 million foreign visitors and 35 million domestic tourists. Last year, Vietnam catered for 6.8 million foreign tourists and 32.5 million domestic tourists. The sector generated 160 trillion VND (approximately five percent of the country’s GDP).-VNA