Foreign tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam welcomed 1.11 millioninternational tourists in October, making the fourth consecutive month thatthe country has served more than 1 million foreign visitor, according to the VietnamNational Authority of Tourism (VNAT) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism (MoCST).
The total number of international visitors to the country inthe first ten months of 2023 reached nearly 10 million, exceeding the target of 8 million for the whole year.
The Republic of Korea remained the biggest source of visitors to Vietnam with2.9 million holidaymakers, followed by China. The two markets accounted for 42% of thetotal number of tourists to Vietnam. The US ranked third while Taiwan (China) and Japanranked fourth and fifth, respectively.
In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the top three markets were Thailand with392,000 visitors, Malaysia with 372,000 tourists and Cambodia with 326,000 holidaymakers.
Foreign tourists enjoy Vietnamese tea. (Photo: Collaborator/VietnamPlus) In Europe, three countries with the largest numbers ofvisitors to Vietnam were the UK, France and Germany.
VNAT attributed the higher-than-expected number of foreign tourist arrivals to Vietnam to efforts to develop new products,improve service quality and promotion activities.
The MoCST hasadjusted the target of 8 million foreign tourists to 12 - 13 million for the whole 2023 to accelerate recovery and development of the tourism industry in an effective andsustainable manner.
VNAT has recently organised a tourism promotion programmewithin the framework of the Vietnam Cultural TourismPromotion Festival in the RoK.
It was an annual event, reflecting the close cooperative relationshipbetween the two countries, especially in the fields of tourism and culture. Itoffered an opportunity for Vietnam to introduce its traditional culturalidentity and promote attractive destinations and tourism products to Koreantourists.
The programme created opportunities for Vietnamese and RoK investors and tourism businesses to meet,explore cooperation and business opportunities, and enhance two-way touristexchanges./.
