Seaborne tourists to VN soar

VGP – Foreign arrivals in Việt Nam numbered 681,000 in February, an increase of 8.2% compared to January and a year-on-year increase of 29.4%, according to the General Statistics Office.

February 28, 2012 7:04 PM GMT+7

In the first two months of 2011, around 1.3 million of foreign visitors arrived in Việt Nam, up 27.1% in comparison with the same period last year. The number of foreign tourists traveling by planes rose 31.3%, by sea 42.3% and by road 16.5% over the same period last year.

The country saw the highest increase from Russia, with 55.1%, followed by China, with 51.5%, Taiwan, 40.5%, the Republic of Korea, 38.4%, Cambodia, 32.1%, Malaysia, 31.9%, France, 18.8%, Japan, 16.9% and the US, 1.5% in comparison with the same period in 2011.

The number of foreign tourists coming to Việt Nam for holidays surged by 32.6%, for business purposes up 22.9%, for visiting relatives up 23.8% and other purposes up 33.1%.

To attract more foreign visitors and improve the image and competitiveness of the hospitality industry, the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism has asked the departments of culture, sports and tourism as well as travel businesses to use the slogan “Việt Nam-Timeless Charm” for any advertisements and tourism promotion activities at international tourist fairs and related events.

By Thùy Dung