VietNamNet Bridge – More than 7.2 million foreign visitors arrived in Viet Nam in the first 11 months of this year, surging 5.4 per cent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

 

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In 2013, Viet Nam received 7.5 million international tourists, a 10.6 per cent rise over 2012, contributing VND200 trillion (US$9.4 billion) to the State budget, or accounting for approximately 6 per cent of the country's GDP. 

 

Of the total, more than 4.36 million foreigners chose Viet Nam as their holiday destination, up four per cent year-on-year, while more than 1.21 million others came for business purposes, up 6 per cent.

GSO data showed that the number of visitors from China's Hong Kong saw a year-on-year increase of 61.2 per cent, followed by Germany (51.3 per cent), Russia (25.2 per cent) and Spain (23 per cent), besides Cambodia (18.2 per cent) and Italy (13 per cent).

However, modest decreases were seen in several markets such as Finland (7.9 per cent), Thailand (6.5 per cent) and Indonesia (2.3 per cent).

Last month, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism approved a tourism marketing strategy until 2020, which focuses on both international and domestic markets.

Drawn up by the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, the strategy specified priorities for the country's tourism, including development of brands of unique and diverse products such as cultural heritage, beaches and seas and islands, besides eco-tourism.

The top-priority markets are Japan, South Korea and mainland China, as well as Taipei, Russia and Southeast Asia, besides Australia and New Zealand. The ministry said India and the Middle East are promising markets that need to be developed.

Marketing activities will continue in Western and Eastern Europe and North America, it said.

Vietnamplus quoted the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism as saying that the contribution of tourism to the economy has increased significantly in recent years.

In 2013, Viet Nam received 7.5 million international tourists, a 10.6 per cent rise over 2012, contributing VND200 trillion (US$9.4 billion) to the State budget, or accounting for approximately 6 per cent of the country's GDP.

The domestic hospitality sector is expected to welcome 8 million foreign and 37.5 million domestic tourists by the end of the year.

VNS/VNN