Domestic tourism surges in first half
Vietnam’s domestic tourists reached 24 million in the first half of this year, up by 12 percent against the same period last year, and 73.8 percent of this year’s target.
The domestic tourism market has seen a continuous surge and is now a major driving force accelerating tourism development in Vietnamese localities, said Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, in a recent teleconference to review the sector’s six-month performance.
Notably, Vietnam’s key tourism localities maintained their growth and affirm their leading role in the sector, including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Da Nang, Quang Nam and BinhThuan, he said.
Over the past time, a range of large-scale tourism facility projects such as international quality hotels and resorts have gone into operation, illustrating the country’s improvement in tourism infrastructure and services, he added.
Vietnam’s progress shows that the country is still an attractive destination in the eyes of investors despite its economic difficulties, he said, adding that Vietnam’s tourism is also highly valued by the international community and tourism experts.
Since the beginning of this year, the sector has been honoured to receive many prestigious international awards.
Hanoi, HCM City, Hoi An (Quang Nam province) and Ha Long (Quang Ninh province) received “Top Destination in Asia” awards from the world’s greatest tourism website TripAdvisor.com.
The website also ranked three Vietnamese museums, namely the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the Vietnam Women’s Museum in Hanoi, and the Hon Tam Resort and Residences as the most favourite destinations in Asia.