International visitors to Vietnam increase by 30.2% in May

International visitors to Vietnam increase by 30.2% in May

The Hanoitimes – The General Statistics Office said on May 26 that the number of international visitors to Vietnam in May was estimated at 757,244 arrivals, up 30.2% compared to the same period last year.

In January-May, foreign arrivals to Vietnam have reached over 4 million so far this year, up 20% compared to the same period of 2015 with an increase being witnessed in most tourist markets, according to the General Statistics Office.

In May alone, the country received 757,244 international visitors, decreasing by 4.1% over the previous month but rising by 30.2% compared to the same period last year, the General Statistics Office said.

Foreign tourists coming to Vietnam by air was estimated at 643,894 arrivals, up 85%; by sea was 15,408 arrivals, accounting for 2%; arrivals by road reached 97,942 passengers, up 13%.

In the first five months of 2016, international visitors to Vietnam by air was estimated at 3,291,938 arrivals, up 22.2%; by sea was 66,011 passengers, down 25.9%; arrivals by road reached 647,929 arrivals, up 16.6% over the same period in 2015.

Most markets rose in the reviewed time compared to the same period last year, including Hong Kong up 139%; China increased by 44.4%; Thailand 37.7%; Republic of Korea rose 31.4%; Sweden up 26.5%; Russia increased by 23.3%; Netherlands up 21.8%; Malaysia grew by 18.4%.

Meanwhile, the figure for domestic tourists in the period is 27.3 million. The number of domestic visitors is expected to continue growing until the end of the season in September.

The administration also reported that the tourism sector gained more than 167.4 trillion VND in the first five months of this year, up 20.7% over the same period last year.

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Beaches and mountainous destinations are forecast to be the most crowded places. Especially, Phu Quoc island in the southern province of Kien Giang is expected to draw a large number of visitors thanks to the Phu Quoc-Mekong Delta National Tourism Year 2016.

In the meantime, the Vietnam Culture-Tourism Village of Ethnic Groups in Hanoi received 300,000 visitors, mostly Vietnamese, an increase of 50,000 compared to the same period in 2015.

Beside a diversity of activities, the village will hold an impressive summer month programme, creating an attractive playground for visitors.

Particularly, a surge was seen in the number of visitors from countries enjoying a visa exemption under the Government’s Resolution 46/NQ-CP dated June 18 last year, with Italy up 30.1%, the UK 24.4%, Spain 22.4%, German 17.6%, and France 13%.

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said that after 10 months of offering visa waiver for Belarus and five Western European countries, the number of tourists from these markets has rised significantly.

According to the statistics from the General Statistics Office,

the total number of travellers from five Western European countries reached nearly 629,000 arrivals, earning nearly 828 million USD in revenues in the last ten months, up nearly 15% from 2014 and 2015.

Through these positive figures, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently has made a proposal to the Government to extend the visa exemption policy for citizens from five Western European countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Germany and Italy from one year to five years, and rise visa-free stay for those tourists from 15 to 30 days to meet their demands.

Thu Minh

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