Visitors to a shop in Hoi An Ancient Town, the central province of Quang Nam, before the destination is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Hanoi welcomed some 133,740 foreign visitors in March, an 80 percent nose-dive compared to the same period last year. The total stood at 3.85 million for the first quarter, down 47.2 percent year-on-year.

The capital also posted a 38.8 percent decline in tourism revenue during the quarter, to 15.69 trillion VND (665 million USD).

Ninh Binh province, another tourism magnet in Vietnam’s north, welcomed 1.47 million visitors in the quarter and earned 761.33 billion VND in revenue, equivalent to 42.1 percent and 53.1 percent, respectively, of figures posted in the first quarter of last year.

Overall, foreign arrivals to Vietnam in March plunged 63.8 percent against February and 68.1 percent year-on-year. The first-quarter total stood at around 3.7 million, down 18.1 percent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office.

Sharp falls were posted in the number of visitors from major markets like Asia (down 21.1 percent), the Americas (20.2 percent), and Australia (14.4 percent).

Fewer tourists also meant less revenue in related services. Accommodation and catering services earned just 126.2 trillion VND over the last three months and travel services 7.8 trillion VND, down 9.6 percent and 27.8 percent, respectively, year-on-year.

Vietnam has targeted 20.5 million foreign arrivals in 2020. Hanoi hoped to attract 31.88 million visitors in total and Ninh Binh, host of National Tourism Year 2020, anticipated 7.78 million.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Vietnam’s tourism sector is forecast to endure a host of ongoing difficulties, making the targets of most localities and the country as a whole virtually unachievable.

The World Tourism Organisation has projected that the number of foreign tourist arrivals globally will fall by 1-3 percent this year, rather than grow 3-4 percent as forecast in January just before the outbreak.

Some, however, believe the industry will prove resilient when the pandemic is over.

Mauro Gasparotti, Director of Savills Hotels Asia Pacific, said the hospitality industry is likely to see the fastest and strongest growth among all sectors once recovery comes into view.

Vietnam’s reliance on local tourists, who accounted for 82.5 percent of travel in 2019, and the Chinese and the Republic of Korean markets could turn out to be an advantage, as these are expected to be some of the first who are able to travel again, he explained./.VNA

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