Foreign tourists examine souvenirs at a shop on Hang Bong Street in Ha Noi. The number of foreign visitors to Viet Nam was 10.6 per cent lower in June than in May. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Dat

Nearly 1.9 million foreigners visited Viet Nam in June, data of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) showed, the lowest number in any month since the beginning of the year. The number of visitors was down 10.6 per cent from May but still represented a year-on-year rise of 0.2 per cent.

The number of foreign tourists declined in most markets.

More than 964,000 visitors came from Asia, making up 77 per cent of international tourists to Viet Nam in June. The number was down 10.8 per cent from May and 0.4 per cent from June last year.

Arrivals from the Americas increased 16.6 per cent but the number of tourists from Europe and Africa both fell 20 per cent and Australia was down 13.7 per cent.

By the end of June, the number of foreign tourists to Viet Nam in 2019 had reached 8.48 million, up 7.5 per cent year on year – a big gain but still much lower than the growth rate of 20-30 per cent seen from 2016 to 2018.

Viet Nam has targeted attracting 18 million international tourists this year. To realise this goal, VNAT has organised shows in foreign markets since the beginning of the year to introduce Viet Nam’s beauty.

Last month, it participated in the Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE) with the aim of promoting Viet Nam to Chinese tourists. Last week, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism organised a Viet Nam Culture and Tourism Festival in Seoul.

The country is striving to stimulate its tourism in many areas including sea ecological and marine tourism and adventure tourism. — VNS