Int’l Tourist Arrivals to Vietnam Down 18.7 per cent in Jan-July
Vietnam welcomed 2.17 million foreign tourists in the first seven months of this year, down 18.7 per cent on-year, according to data from the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
Of the figure, the number of visitors to the country for business dropped by 22.3 per cent, for vacation by 21.4 per cent, and for other reasons by 20.5 per cent, while the number of visitors coming to see relatives rose by 0.6 per cent, it said.
There were only 149,000 foreign visitors to Vietnam in July, 12.9 per cent lower than the same period last year.
The main reason for the decline in the number foreign visitors was the global financial crisis, a representative for VNAT said, adding that the global swine flu outbreak has also driven visitors away.
Vietnam has set a target to welcome five million foreign visitors and 21.5 million local tourists this year despite the negative impacts of the global economic slowdown. (Economy & Urban, VietNamNet)
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