Vietnam welcomes 114,500 foreign visitors in nine months

An aerial view of Hoi An ancient town in Quang Nam province (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam welcomed about 114,500 foreign visitors in the first nine months of this year, a year-on-year plunge of 97 percent, announced the General Statistics Office (GSO) on September 29.

The GSO attributed the nosedive to the continuation of COVID-19 preventive measures, including the closure of borders to international tourism, noting that most of the foreign arrivals were experts and technical workers performing duties at projects in Vietnam.

In the third quarter alone, the country greeted some 26,300 foreigners, slipping 40.3 percent compared to the same period last year.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, as the pandemic has been gradually brought under control since early September, it has called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to roll out tourism recovery policies, with safety being the top priority in the new normal.

Three important factors of the recovery plan include COVID-19 vaccine coverage, safety at tourism destinations, and optimal conditions for domestic and foreign tourists holding vaccination certificates./.

VNA