Foreign tourists to Vietnam rise 23% in January

Foreign tourists to Vietnam rise 23% in January

Foreign tourists to Vietnam were estimated to reach more than 1 million in the first month of 2017, a year-on-year rise of 23%, in which those by air occupied more than 80%, reported the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Chinese tourists in Ho Chi Minh city (Photo: Thanh Nien News)

Major markets sending tourists to the country saw strong growth, in which holidaymakers from China accounted for one fourth with 247,600; up over 67% over a year earlier.

Specifically, Chinese visitors to Vietnam in January increased 2.7 fold compared to visitors from America and equalled to those from Europe and Oceania.

This month also marked the growth recovery of Cambodian travellers after reductions in the previous few months, ranking third at 34% compared to the same period last year.

Visa waivers for citizens from the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain continued to contribute to attracting a large number of tourists from Western Europe, with growth of 4%-27%.

The country also served 5.7 million domestic tourists, including 2.8 million staying overnight. Total tourism revenue reached an estimated VND38.6 trillion, up 28.5% over a year earlier.

Last year, Vietnam greeted more than 10 million foreign tourists, in which 2.7 million were Chinese travellers, marking a record growth from the market./.

BTA

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