Vietnam welcomes 7.8 million foreign arrivals over eight months
VOV.VN - Vietnam received approximately 7.8 million foreign arrivals in the first eight months of this year, meeting 97.5% of the target set for the whole year, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).
August alone saw 1.2 million foreign travelers arrive in Vietnam, representing an increase of 15.4$ compared to July, reported the VNAT.
The tourism industry is expected to receive a high influx of foreign visitors in the coming months – the peak tourism season for foreign travelers, specially following the enforcement of the new visa policy.
Nguyen Trung Khanh, head of the VNAT, said the new visa policy, which came into force on August 15, will help Vietnam attract more foreign visitors and enhance the competitiveness of the non-smoking industry.
There remains a lot of room for the tourism industry to spur its growth when it enters the peak international tourism season at the end of the year, especially after a number of favourable policies for international visitors to Vietnam took effect, said Khanh,
In order to attract more foreign holidaymakers to Vietnam, experts said, besides visa policy changes, businesses are required to invest in building infrastructure, services, and products to meet the needs of visitors for a longer stay and more spending.
At the same time, they said tourism businesses need to improve the quality of human resources, while localities should improve the management of tourist attractions to ensure security and safety for tourists.
