HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam received eight million international tourists in the first 10 months of 2016, a 25.4 per cent increase year-on-year, according to the General Bureau of Tourism.

Growth was seen in most markets, including Hong Kong (72.5 per cent), China (55.2 per cent), the Republic of Korea (40.1 per cent) and New Zealand (35 per cent), as well as the United States (14.2 per cent), France (13.3 per cent) and Japan (10.8 per cent). The number of tourists from west European countries (the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), who do not require a visa, also increased.

To attract more European tourists, especially those from the four north European nations (Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden), the National Administration of Tourism will hold some tourism promotion programmes in these countries at the end of November this year.

The administration also plans to invite tourism businesses from these four countries to conduct a survey in Việt Nam. Visa on arrival and e-visa are also expected to be implemented by 2017.

It is estimated that Việt Nam will welcome a total of 9.6 million international visitors in 2016.

Also in the first 10 months of 2016, the number of domestic tourists reached more than 53 million and is estimated to touch 60 million by the end of the year. — VNS