Foreign visitors at Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh. — Photo dulichvietnam.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) – The country welcomed approximately 3.25 million international visitors in the first four months of this year, up 17.8 per cent against the same period last year, according to the Viet Nam National Aministration of Tourism (VNAT).

In April alone, more than 780,000 foreigners travelled to the country, down 4 per cent month-on-month, but up 12 per cent year-on-year, VNAT quoted statistics from the General Statistics Office (GSO) as saying.

From January to April, foreign arrivals by air reached about 2.65 million, up 19 per cent year-on-year, while arrivals by road saw a yearly rise of 25.2 per cent to 550,000. However, arrivals by sea declined significantly by 38 per cent to number 50,600.

Several nations recorded strongest increases of tourists to Việt Nam in the period including Hong Kong, up 143 per cent, mainland China (47 per cent), South Korea (30 per cent), Italy (29 per cent) in addition to Sweden (27 per cent), the UK (23 per cent) and Spain (22 per cent). Positive growth was seen in some other markets such Germany, Russia, Taiwan, Denmark, France and the US.

VNAT said, the domestic tourism industry generated an estimated revenue of VNĐ135.8 trillion (over US$6 billiion) in four months, surging 20 per cent over last year's corresponding period.

Vietnamplus.vn quoted Nguyen Van Tuan, head of VNAT, as saying that the administration has been reviewing the visa exemption policy, which was applied for Western European tourists from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and would propose extending it.

The policy, which would expire on July 1, has helped to increase the number of tourists from these countries to Việt Nam quarter by quarter, he said. It was also finalising dossiers on visa exemptions for tourists from another 13 countries who visited Việt Nam via travel companies, he said. —VNS