Travel
Vietnam welcomes more than 2.86 million international tourists in first two months of 2018
More than 2.86 million international tourist arrived to Vietnam in the two months of 2018, increasing by 29.7% compared to 2017, according to the General Statistics Office.
Vietnam welcomes more than 2.86 million international tourists in first two months of 2018.
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Vietnam expects to welcome between 15 and 17 million international and 78 million domestic tourists this year, with total revenue expected to hit VND620 trillion (US$27.28 billion), up 21.35% annually, according to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
Northeast Asia, including China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan (China), will continue to be the major sources of tourists. Last year, 4 and 2.4 million visitors came from China and South Korea, Vu The Binh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association was quoted as saying.
Vietnam ranked sixth among the world’s 10 fastest growing travel destinations in the first months of 2017 and is first in Asia, thanks to efforts by the government, ministries, sectors, and localities to turn tourism into a spearhead industry, according to the latest statistics from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Vietnam welcomed more than 13 million foreign visitors in 2017, increasing by 28% compared to 2016. The growth brought tourism turnover to US$23 billion, up more than 25%. Tourism now contributes 7% to the national GDP, according to the General Statistics Office report.
Early last year, the Politburo issued a resolution on making tourism a spearhead economic sector. The National Assembly passed the revised Law on Tourism, while the Government also approved two new visa policies, granting e-visas to foreign visitors and exempting visitors from five Western European countries—the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain—which has encouraged travel and attracted more tourists.
