The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has announced the Vietnam Tourism Awards 2012 will be presented at a ceremony on December 4.

The awards, the highest in the sector sponsored by VNAT and the Vietnam Tourism Association, will honour 62 outstanding travel agencies, hotels and hospitality services providers and carriers in the country.

Recipients include the top 10 five-star hotels, the top 10 four-star hotels, the top 10 three-star hotels, and the top 10 international travel companies.

2013 marks the 13th year of the Vietnam Tourism Awards.

Despite facing difficulties because of the global economic downturn, Vietnam’s tourism sector still saw a stable growth last year. The country received 38.8 million domestic and foreign holiday-makers and earned 160 trillion VND (7.5 billion USD) in the period.

Vietnam strives to welcome about 10 million foreign visitors in 2020 and 18 million 10 years later. The country has set a target of earning 18 billion USD from tourism activities in 2020 and 36 billion USD in 2030.-VNA