The country has seen an estimated 6.2 million international visitors in the first half of this year, up 30.2 per cent year-on-year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported.

In June alone, around 950,000 foreign tourists visited Viet Nam, 33.6 per cent higher than the same period last year, according to the GSO data.

During the six-month period, arrivals by air reached 5.21 million, up 33 per cent year on year; 170,800 visitors came by sea, up 26 per cent; and the remaining 824,000 arrived by road, up 15.8 per cent.

Northeast Asia remained the largest market for Vietnamese tourism in the first six months of 2017, accounting for 58.5 per cent of total international arrivals. Southeast Asia accounted for 12.9 per cent, Europe 15.8 per cent, and America (7 per cent).

Among countries that recorded the highest growth in the number of tourists to Viet Nam are mainland China (up 56.7 per cent), Russia (up 53.4 per cent), South Korea (44 per cent), Cambodia (36 per cent), Hong Kong (30 per cent), Spain (28.6 per cent), Philippines (24.3 per cent), Taiwan (23 per cent), New Zealand (19 per cent) and Australia (10 per cent).

From January to June, the domestic tourism sector earned a revenue of VND254.7 trillion (US$1.11 billion), a 27 per cent surge against last year’s corresponding period, the GSO noted.

Revenue up

International tourists to HCM City reached 2.8 million in the first half of 2017, a 14.7 per cent year-on-year increase, according to the municipal People’s Committee.

During the period, the city’s revenue from tourism services also saw a yearly rise of 12 per cent ot an estimated VND53.61 trillion.

Since the beginning of the year, the city has been organising monthly events to attract and retain visitors, including Ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress), southern land cuisine and southern fruits festivals, among others.

The city also introduced a number of new tourism products recently, including medical tourism and craft trading streets.

HCM City welcomed 5.2 million foreign tourists in 2016, making it the first locality to touch the milestone of five million overseas visitors. The southern hub expects to receive 5.6-6 million international tourists by the end of this year. — VNS