Foreign tourist arrivals fall slightly in June

The number of foreign arrivals visiting Vietnam for the month of June fell modestly by 1.9% when compared against the corresponding period last year to 529,000, according to the latest figures from the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The number of foreign arrivals visiting Vietnam for the month of June fell modestly by 1.9% when compared against the corresponding period last year to 529,000, according to the latest figures from the General Statistics Office (GSO).   

According to the GSO, arrivals by air and land fell by 8.6% and 8.9%, respectively. Meanwhile tourism by sea was a clearly a bright spot showing a hefty increase of two-and-a-half fold compared to last June.

June’s figures represent the 13th consecutive month for which tourist arrivals have fallen on a year-on-year basis, said Nguyen Van Tuan, general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

A decline in Chinese tourism, devaluation of the Russia ruble and the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) has taken a toll on the industry this year, Tuan said.