Tourist arrivals to Vietnam jump 51% to 10 mln in 7 months

Vietnam welcomed nearly 10 million foreign guests in the first seven months of this year, representing a 51% year-on-year spike and indicating a rebound for the local tourism industry.

The number of tourist arrivals rose 1.9% compared to the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 breakout, data from the General Statistics Office showed.

The office attributed the growth to conducive visa policies and promotions launched by Vietnamese localities.

Of the seven-month figure, arrivals by air totaled 8.4 million, accounting for 84.2% of the tally and soaring 45.1% year-on-year.

Asia continued to be the biggest source of tourists, with 7.87 million arriving from the continent between January and July, spiking 57.1% year-on-year.

It was followed by Europe with 1.16 million, the Americas with 610,243, Oceania with 104,900, and Africa with 29,153.

In terms of country and territory, South Korea continued to take the lead with 2.59 million tourists, up 37.2% year-on-year. The runners-up were mainland China with 2.14 million, up 190.2%; Taiwan with 731,893, up 76.3%; the U.S. with 478,000, up 7.3%; and Japan with 380,207, up 34%.

Some 1.4 million tourists arrived in Vietnam by land, rising 84.2% year-on-year; and 165,500 by sea, three times the figure a year ago, the government-run office noted.

Vietnam is aiming for 18 million international tourists this year to reach pre-pandemic levels.

The government is unilaterally waiving visa requirements for citizens from 13 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Belarus. Citizens of of these countries can stay for 45 days from the date of entry, regardless of passport type and entry purpose.

In addition, the foreign ministry is negotiating with 15 countries on reciprocal visa exemptions, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said in March.