Vietnam welcomed around 3.9 million foreigners in the past eleven months of this year, representing an increase of 1.1 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.
Among countries and territories with high numbers of tourists coming to Vietnam are China (590,900, up 14.7 per cent), Thailand (169,000, up 14 per cent), Singapore (136,900, up 14.3 per cent) and Malaysia (154,100, up 13.5 per cent).
Meanwhile, the numbers of tourists coming from some Asian countries have declined: the Republic of Korea (down 3.5 per cent), Japan (down 5.9 per cent) and Taiwan (down 3.1 per cent).
The country also witnessed concomitant fall in hotel room occupancy. Many luxury hotels reported room occupancy rates of only 55 per cent in the past ten months, 10 per cent-15 per cent lower than the rate recorded during the same period last year.
“If this situation continues, it will be impossible for Vietnam to welcome 5 million foreign visitors, the target it has set for this year,” said Nguyen Manh Cuong, deputy director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
To help give an impetus to the industry, the Government has agreed to provide VND30 billion (US$1.8 million) for a range of promotional activities.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a plan to advertise images of Vietnam on the BBC and is planning to build on this approach by promoting the country’s natural beauty via other worldwide television channels.
The UN Tourism Organization predicted that the global tourism industry would remain static during 2009 before rebounding in 2020 with 1.6 billion tourist arrivals. (VoV)
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