In August, arrivals by air increased by 17.4 per cent year-on-year to more than 610,100, accounting for 91.8 per cent of total foreign arrivals, while arrivals by sea dropped by 9.3 per cent to 1,360, making up 0.2 per cent of the total. — VNA/VNS Photo Tran Le Lam

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — International visitors to Viet Nam in August reached an estimated 665,000, surging 12 per cent against last month and 7.5 per cent against the same period last year, data from the General Statistics Office (GSO) revealed.

According to the GSO, the number of foreign arrivals rebounded in July and August after recording a decline for 13 consecutive months. In July, more than 593,000 international visitors arrived in Viet Nam in July, up 5.1 per cent year-on-year and 12.1 per cent month-on-month.

In August, arrivals by air increased by 17.4 per cent year-on-year to more than 610,100, accounting for 91.8 per cent of total foreign arrivals, while arrivals by sea dropped by 9.3 per cent to 1,360, making up 0.2 per cent of the total. The number of those arriving by land declined 45.2 per cent to approximately 53,500, equivalent to eight per cent of the total foreign arrivals.

The number of tourists from five European countries, which enjoy exemption from visa, witnessed a significant growth in August, compared with the levels just a month ago, such as Spain (159.3 per cent), Italy (141.4 per cent) and Germany (54.1 per cent).

Meanwhile, visitors from Northeast Asia and ASEAN also experienced a two-digit growth, including South Korea (42.5 per cent), Hong Kong (36.4 per cent), Laos (33.4 per cent), Thailand (29.9 per cent), Japan (25.9 per cent) and Singapore (18.7 per cent).

Overall, the country welcomed more than five million foreign visitors and 45.8 million domestic tourists during the first eight months of this year, earning a revenue of over VND235 trillion (US$10.47 billion), a rise of 2.7 per cent in a year.

According to some experts, Viet Nam needed to tap tourism potential in the European, Asia-Pacific and American markets while expanding the domestic market. They said it was vital to grasp international tastes to bring into play local tourism strengths.

Furthermore, the quality of tourism services and products must be improved by creating new and unique products which carry a cultural identity.

In the past few years, international arrivals to Viet Nam have been growing at around 9-10 per cent each year. Last year, the country welcomed 7.87 million foreign tourists, 30 per cent of them from Northeast Asia.

The country is expected to receive 7.8-8 million foreign visitors this year. — VNS