Viet Nam received visits from more than 8.9 million international tourists in the first nine months of this year. This figure is equivalent to 69 percent of total tourist arrivals during the same period in 2019, according to a report from the General Statistics Office.
In light of this positive development, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to raise the target for foreign tourist arrivals to 13 million, as the initial target has already been reached.
Deputy Minister Doan Van Viet revealed that the ministry will seek to increase the target by 56%, estimating that around 1.2 million visitors will arrive each month for the rest of the year.
Meanwhile, with various countries reopening their borders, Viet Nam is increasingly becoming a desirable global tourist destination.
In line with this, Viet revealed that one of the factors contributing to the recovery of tourism is the change in visa policy. The government has also strongly supported this effort by easing visa policies, according to Hoang Nhan Chinh, Director of the Secretariat of the Viet Nam Tourism Advisory Council.
Since August 15, Viet Nam has provided access to e-visa for citizens from all over the world, with a 90-day stay permit and multiple entry. In addition, Viet Nam has also extended the length of stay for citizens of 13 countries previously exempt from visa requirements, from 15 to 45 days.
Although Viet Nam has met its tourism targets, the country's tourism sector has yet to fully recover. These challenges are due to the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as travel restrictions on Chinese tourists due to their country's economic slowdown, according to Ha Van Sieu, deputy director general of the Viet Nam National Tourism Administration.
Before the outbreak of the pandemic, Chinese and Russian travelers were the two main tourist markets for Viet Nam. But in the January-September period, the number of Chinese tourists reached only 1.1 million, or 28% of the pre-pandemic figure. Meanwhile, Russia is no longer among the top 10 markets for Viet Namese tourists.
Source: VN Express | Viet Nam News
