Foreign tourists in Vietnam
According to the report, the number of foreign tourists arriving in February reached 933,000, up 7.10 percent against January, and 31.6-fold increase compared to the same period last year before the country completely reopened to international tourists in mid-March.
The country welcomed a total of 1.80 million foreign visitors in the first two months, a 36.6-fold increase on year, but barely 60 percent of the figure of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic occurred, the report said.
Up to 90.70 percent or 1.60 million of the visitors arrived in Vietnam by air during the first two months, while 8.60 percent entered by road, and 0.70 percent by sea.
Most of the visitors are from Asia with 1.29 million, followed by European visitors with 242,500, Americas 186,300, Oceania 77,300, and Africa 4,300.
During the period, the country earned a revenue of VND4.70 trillion, 2.2 times higher than the same period last year.
Vietnam aims to welcome 8 million foreign tourists this year, a modest figure compared to the figure of 18 million made in 2019.
Many tourism officials and experts have called on the government to ease visa policies in order to lure international tourists, saying that the current 15-day visa exemption for visitors from European countries has yet to satisfy them.
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa said that the list of 25 countries benefiting from visa exemptions to Vietnam is not competitive compared to that of other countries in the region. Singapore is offering visa exemptions to visitors from 157 countries, Malaysia 155 countries, and Thailand 64 countries.
The official urged the government to expand the list of countries and territories qualifying for visa exemptions and e-visas. She proposed extending visa-free stays from the current 15 to 30 days to attract more tourists.