Vietnam welcomed 19.5 million international visitors between January and October, up 13.8% on the same period last year, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism as reported by Tuoi Tre News. That is about 78% of the full-year target of 25 million.

Asia supplied about 75% of arrivals, or roughly 14.6 million people. Europe supplied 3.22 million, or 16.5%, and grew by more than 51%, the fastest of any region. The Americas sent more than a million visitors, Australia 602,000 (up 21.5%) and Africa 59,000 (up more than 30%).

China remained the largest market with nearly 4.4 million visitors, followed by South Korea with 3.4 million, Russia with 1.25 million and Taiwan with 1.07 million. The United States, Cambodia, Japan, India, the Philippines and Australia complete the top ten, though the report gives no figures for them.

South Korea is the exception to the growth. Tien Phong reports that arrivals from South Korea fell 6.3% in the ten months, the sharpest drop among the markets listed.

It says Russia, by contrast, rose 150% to take third place. The tourism authority has not given a cause for the Korean decline.

The authority attributes the growth to the European peak season and milder weather there, a stable security environment, more direct flights to major tourism hubs, more favourable visa policies and a wider range of products. For the rest of the year it plans promotion and marketing campaigns in China, South Korea, India and Russia.

The report does not give a separate figure for October.

Sources

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