International visitors to Vietnam are forecast to have fallen 11% from a year earlier to 3.772 million this year, the government's General Statistics Office (GSO) said on December 31.
Among markets, China has taken the lead with 527,600 tourists, followed by the U.S. with 403,900 and South Korea with 362,100, the GSO added.
In December, the country welcomed 376,400 foreign travelers, down 3% on month and up 5.1% on year. In the month, the country has seen the strong growth from such markets as France (28.4%), Australia (25.2%) and South Korea (16.1%).
In 2009, the country has reported the fall in all major markets. Of them, tourists from South Korea to Vietnam have decreased the most with 19.4%, followed by China with 18% and Thailand with 16.3%.
This year visitors to Vietnam for entertainment purposes are forecast to have reached 2.226 million, down 3.5% on month and equal to the 2008 figure; arrivals for business purposes 783,000, down 10.8% on month and up 27.2% on year; arrivals for visiting relatives 517,000, up 38.4% on month and down 2.6% on year and arrivals for other purposes 245,100, down 24.1% on month and up 8% on year.
Vietnam’s tourism revenues are estimated to have grown by 9% from a year earlier to VND70 trillion (US$3.8 billion) this year.
The communist country aims to welcome between 4.5 million and 4.6 million foreign travelers and earn tourism revenues of between US$4 billion and US$4.5 billion next year, up 21% and 15.5% on year, respectively. (GSO)
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