About 13 million foreigners chose Vietnam as their holiday destination in 2017, which is considered a record of the tourism sector and marked a year-on-year rise of nearly 3 million in the number of foreign visitors for the first time.
Meanwhile, the sector served 73.2 million domestic tourists. It earned 510.9 trillion VND (22.5 billion USD) from visitors this year, according to statistics unveiled at a meeting of the State steering committee for tourism in Hanoi on December 26.
Local tourism accommodation has been developed, surpassing 25,000 establishments with more than 500,000 rooms. There are now 116 five-star hotels with over 33,000 rooms, 259 four-star hotels, and 488 three-star hotels nationwide.
According to VietnamNet Bridge, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) reported that the tourism sector successfully fulfilled the target of 30-percent rise in the number of foreign visitors.
As quoted in Hanoi Times, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Van Tuan said while the number of international visitors to other countries in July and August declined such as South Korea (down 40 percent), Thailand (down 9.5 percent), Malaysia (down 7.5 percent), and the Philippines (down 38 percent), Vietnam attracted over 1.2 million foreigners, a monthly increase of 18.5 percent.
Vietnam ranks 67th among 136 economies in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2017, up eight places compared to the same period in 2015.
Hanoi Times reported that the world’s largest tourism website TripAdvisor announced a list of ten most attractive spots in Vietnam voted by tourists. Notably, the central province of Quang Binh climbed to fourth on the list, behind Hoi An, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City only.
According to TripAdvisor, Quang Binh was described as a heaven for exploration and experiences with various tourism destinations and routes such as Son Doong cave, Tu Lan cave system, Da Nhay Beach and Phong Nha- Ke Bang cave, among others.
