VietNamNet Bridge – The U.S., South Korea and Australia are the countries with the highest contribution to the tourism industry in Vietnam.

Russian tourists in Vinpearl Land, Nha Trang.

Ms. Lorijon Bacchi, Regional Manager of Visa in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, said in a seminar on Vietnam tourism held in Hanoi on Wednesday, that international tourists to Vietnam spent $776.4 million in 2012, up 12.3 percent from last year. Transactions by Visa cards made by foreign tourists in Vietnam increased by 15.5 percent to 4.8 million transactions in 2012.

In the 10 countries with the largest spending in tourism in Vietnam, the U.S. held the record levels of up to $99.9 million, up 9.6 percent from $91.2 million in 2011.

The next position is South Korea, with $82.6 million and tourists from Australia with $82.1 million. The following seven countries are Japan, France, Britain, Singapore, Russia, Canada and Germany.

Ranking eighth in the list of 10 countries with the highest spending in Vietnam, Russia has the most impressive growth rate in spending. In 2012, Russian Visa cardholders’ spending in Vietnam increased by 67 percent. The cities like Da Nang and Nha Trang are the most favorite destinations of Russian family, especially in the winter in Russia, with 13 flights from Russia to Vietnam each week.

According to Lorijon, the overview research of Vietnam tourism in 2012 was carried out thoroughly by Visa. The study was conducted in 25 countries in the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas, with 12,900 questionnaires.

"This will be a reference for us to develop new tourism products in favor of the large market in order to satisfy the specific needs of each country’s in the group of priority countries of Vietnam's tourism industry," said Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Phuong Nga