VIETNAM WELCOMES 10.6 MILLION FOREIGN VISITORS IN JAN-MAY

Foreign tourists take a cyclo ride in downtown Hanoi - PHOTO: VUONG LOC

HCMC – Vietnam welcomed over 10.6 million international tourists in the first five months of this year, the highest number ever recorded for the period, boosting tourism-related spending and revenues from accommodation and food services.

International arrivals in Vietnam totaled 1.78 million in May, down from April’s 2.03 million but still 16.5% higher than a year earlier. The five-month total reached a record 10.6 million foreign visitors, up 14.9% year-on-year.

Of the total, 8.7 million visitors arrived by air, accounting for 82.3% of all international arrivals and marking an 11% increase from a year earlier.

Land arrivals rose 40.8% year on year to 1.7 million, while more than 202,000 visitors arrived by sea, up 15.4% from the same period last year.

The rise in international tourist arrivals helped boost revenue from accommodation and food services to VND400.4 trillion in the first five months of the year, accounting for 12.6% of total retail sales and consumer service revenue, up 13.3% from the same period last year.

Several localities posted strong growth in accommodation and food service revenue, led by An Giang with a 24.4% increase, followed by Ninh Binh at 19.2%, Danang at 18.9%, Hue at 18.6%, and Quang Ninh at 18.5%. Revenue also rose 14.6% in Haiphong, 13.1% in Can Tho, 10.3% in HCMC, and 9.2% in Hanoi.

Revenue from travel services rose 12.2% year-on-year to 40.6 trillion dong in the first five months of the year. The statistics agency attributed the increase to favorable visa policies, effective tourism promotion and stimulus programs, and continued improvements in the quality of tourism services.

Khanh Hoa recorded the strongest growth in travel service revenue, up 33.8%, followed by Quang Ninh at 25.4%, Quang Ngai at 23.3%, Hue at 18.7%, Hai Phong at 15.6%, Hanoi at 12.5%, and HCMC at 8.2%.

Source: The Saigon Times