Vietnam welcomes 12.9 million foreign visitors

More than 12.9 million foreign tourists have chosen Vietnam as their destination over the last nine months, up 10.8 percent year on year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Illustrative image
Illustrative image

The VNAT said on September 28 that this September is also the fourth month since the beginning of the year and is the second consecutive month that the number of international visitors to Vietnam reached over 1.5 million.

In the nine months, visitors arriving by land increased the highest with 23.5%; by air increased 8.3%; and only by sea dropped 0.6%. International visitors from Asia, Europe, America and Africa increased by 12.5%; 5.3%; 6.8%; and 10.8%, respectively, over the same period in 2018.

The goal of Vietnam's tourism in 2019 is welcoming from 17.5-18 million international visitors, serving 85 million domestic tourists. The total revenue from tourists is estimated at VND 700 trillion. The remaining months of 2019 will be the peak time for international tourists to Vietnam, so the tourism industry believes that it will achieve the set goal.

On the occasion of World Tourism Day (September 27) in 2019, National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency under Ministry of Industry and Trade on September 27 signed a cooperation agreement on applying advanced technologies and e-commerce to support tourism development. This is a step to show the determination of both sides to promote e-commerce in tourism in the context of strong digital economic activities.

The two sides also coordinated to pilot "Vietnamese card - A national card" for domestic tourists based on integration with the existing national card system. In the near future, this card will be issued to international tourists traveling to Vietnam with an automatic card (for one-time use) at tourist sites, airports and train stations.