Tourist arrivals to Hanoi hike during holiday

The municipal Tourism Department reported that foreign arrivals topped 91,200, up 17.9 percent, and over 64,000 of them stayed overnight. Meanwhile, domestic ones neared 349,200, up 11 percent. 

The total tourism revenue was estimated at 754 billion VND (???USD), marking a 36.9 percent rise year-on-year. 

According to the municipal public security’s immigration management office, most of the foreigners to Hanoi during the holiday came from the Republic of Korea (RoK), China, Japan, Taiwan (China), France, Australia, the UK, the US, Germany, and Malaysia. The highest hike is seen in the number of visitors from the RoK with 20.3 percent, reaching nearly 9,000. 

Notably, occupancy rate in three- to five-star hotels neared 70 percent, equivalent to the same period last year, such as Pullman (85 percent), De L’Opera (78 percent), Lotte (75 percent), Sheraton (70 percent), and Metropole (68 percent). 

Deputy Director of the department Nguyen Anh Dung attributed the result to the improvement of service quality in relic sites, museums, entertainment areas and resorts. 

The municipal tourism sector targets welcoming 18 million foreigners this year. 

Last year, the capital city welcomed nearly 318,000 visitors during the holiday which lasted for four days, up 10 percent from the same period of 2017. Nearly 66,000 foreigners and 252,000 domestic tourists came to Hanoi, respectively rising by 20 percent and 7 percent.

Popular attractions include the Temple of Literature, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Ngoc Son Temple, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Huong Pagoda, Khoang Xanh – Suoi Tien and Ao Vua tourist sites, and Ba Vi National Park.