The local tourism sector boasts healthy growth in both quantity and quality, according to data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Two foreign tourists take a selfie at the Notre Dame Cathedral in downtown HCMC

In particular, international visitor arrivals to Vietnam in January-September hit nearly 11.7 million, up 22% year-on-year, alongside an increase in their expenditure on traveling and shopping in Vietnam.

News website Nguoi Lao Dong cited Nguyen Van Tuan, head of VNAT, as saying that during the period, the number of local tourists totaled some 62 million. Both international and domestic tourists helped generate more than VND450 trillion in revenue for the country, up 20% against the year-ago period.

Between 2015 and 2017, foreign visitor arrivals to Vietnam edged up 1.63 times and grew at an annual rate of 28%, the VNAT head added.

A survey conducted by VNAT last year also showed that over 40% of international tourists came to Vietnam for the second time. Thus, Vietnamese tourism has gradually improved and become more appealing, with its rising number of popular destinations, quality tourism products and renovated infrastructure, said Le Tuan Anh, director of the Tourism Information Center at VNAT.

While the tourism sector saw tourist arrivals soaring, it also showed signs of growth in terms of quality. VNAT’s surveys conducted in 2014 and 2017 indicated that most international visitors to Vietnam had increased their daily average expenditure on traveling and shopping.

Foreign visitors from the key source markets of South Korea and China raised their daily expenditure by 28.5% and 9.6%, respectively. In particular, each South Korean tourist spends an average of some US$170 per day, up from the previous US$133, while every Chinese tourist’s spending rose to US$130 daily from US$118, remarked Anh.

In addition, the number of lodging facilities last year doubled from 13,000 in 2011 and high-grade hotels saw a drastic hike. Apart from that, four-star and five-star hotels enjoyed annual growth of 14% and 19%, respectively.

Further, tourist attractions in the country have been diversified. European tourists, for example, have shifted their preference from cross-country tours to tours specializing in local culture, ecology and community. Meanwhile, Japanese tourists preferred visiting destinations reputed for their cultural traditions or locations that provided convenient amenities for long trips, such as HCMC, Danang and Hoi An.

With these positive signs, VNAT aims for 94 million tourists by the end of the year, including 16 million foreigners, and total revenue is projected to reach VND620 trillion, according to the VNAT head.

SGT