Vietnam, home to five World Heritage sites, welcomed 1.46 million foreign visitors in the first four months this year, a year-on-year increase of 12.5 per cent, according to the General Statistic Office (GSO).
The rise was attributed to this year's long national holidays, sparking a surge in both inbound and outbound tours since the beginning of April, resulting in a 15-20 per cent increase of tour prices, according to the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
The GSO has not, however, revealed the total revenue of the hospitality sector during the period.
Among the 31 listed markets, South Korea left China behind to become the largest market of Vietnam in the four-month span with more than 187,500 tourists, up 21.2 per cent on-year. The runners-up were China with 178,000 down 14.8 per cent, and the US with 155,590, up 12.9 per cent, against the same period last year.
Unofficial sources attributed consecutive drops in Chinese tourists in recent months to China’s policies limiting cross-border travel to curb the number of Chinese people gambling in Vietnam, and a regulation to stop granting entry-exit visas for 14 countries sharing borders with China.
Spain holds the highest on-year growth rate in the number of tourists visiting Vietnam in the four months, 86.5 per cent. Following it were Malaysia, 64.2 per cent and Thailand, 54.7 per cent.
In January-April, Vietnam saw the year-on-year falls in four markets namely China, Cambodia, Laos, and Norway, lower than the previous quarters. Among the four, Laos ranked the first with an on-year decrease of 33 per cent, followed by Cambodia with 29.5 per cent and China with 14.8 per cent.
Vietnam once again witnessed growth in three groups of international arrivals, including those flocking to the nation for businesses, visiting relatives, and for holidays, and a drop in the number of vacationers to the country for other purposes during the four-month period.
Specifically, visitors coming to the communist country for visiting relatives registered the highest rate, 20.4 per cent, followed by those arriving to the country for holiday with 17.5 per cent and for business with 7.8 per cent
In April alone, an estimated 350,870 foreign tourists visited Vietnam, a 20 per cent increase over the previous year. Among the markets, the number of visitors from South Korea was highest with 45,000. The runners-up were China with 42,730, and the US with 32,360.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, more and more foreign tourists came to the country by sea during the period, creating momentum for economic development in central coastal provinces and cities, which boast a large number of well-known landscapes.
With diversified cultural and tourism festivals held throughout the country this year, Vietnam will most likely attract four million foreign tourists in 2007, according to VNAT's Investment Promotion Department head, Pham Huu Minh. (GSO Edition April)
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