Int’l tourists to Vietnam up 39% y-o-y in Nov
Int’l tourists to Vietnam up 39% y-o-y in Nov
International visitor arrivals to Vietnam in November have picked up 39% from the same period last year to over 1.8 million, according to the General Statistics Office.
Notably, Asian visitor numbers have continued rising this month, accounting for a staggering 81% of the total. Of this, Chinese and South Koreans made up over 57%.
With the surge in November, the total number of foreign tourists in the January-November period of 2019 has amounted to nearly 16.3 million, a 15% year-on-year increase.
Almost 13 million of them came from Asia, with the number of Chinese and South Koreans exceeding 5.2 million and 3.8 million, respectively.
Such positive results in November, as well as in the eleven months, came as a great relief to the local tourism industry.
Three months earlier, the industry’s authority was concerned over the possible failure to meet this year’s target of attracting 17.5-18 million international visitors, as the inbound segment showed signs of slower growth. Foreign tourists from some source markets, such as China, even declined.
Through December, local tour operators and the national tourism authority are expecting continued high levels of incoming tourism, since the peak season for the inbound segment is ongoing, which normally lasts from October to late March.
However, a five-year visa waiver program for tourists from large markets, such as South Korea, Japan, and Russia, will expire on December 31, and whether the Government will extend the program remains unknown.
