Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien has asked the tourism sector to work harder to attract 18 million foreign tourists in 2019.

Foreign tourists at Trang An tourist site in Ninh Binh

The target was set at a recent conference to review the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s performance in 2018 and sketch out its plans for 2019.

Thien requested the sector to focus on tourism promotion in major markets, thus luring more travellers from these markets and ensuring the growth in the number of visitors.

In 2018, the Vietnamese tourism sector enjoyed impressive results with a record 15.6 million international tourists and 80 million domestic travellers. Total revenue hit 620 trillion VND (around 26.55 billion USD).

During the year, 380 new travel firms received international business licences, while 4,678 individuals got new tour guide licences.

VNA