HÀ NỘI — The number of international visitors to Việt Nam in the first five months of 2017 was estimated at 5.25 million, a year-on-year surge of 29.6 per cent.

While arrivals by air touched 4.35 million passengers, an increase of 32.4 per cent against the same period last year, 730,200 visitors came by road (up 12.7 per cent), and the rest 167,800 people arrived by sea (up 43.9 per cent), the General Statistics Office of Việt Nam reported.

Of these, there were 3.82 million visitors from Asia, up 34.4 per cent year-on-year.

There were 1.57 million tourists from China, up 55.5 per cent over the same period. China ranks first in the number of visitors to Việt Nam, accounting for nearly one third of all international arrivals to the country in the first five months of 2017.

The office reported an increase in tourist inflow from Asia’s key markets, with 889,200 people from the Republic of Korea, 323,000 Japanese visitors, and 247,700 Taiwanese tourists, up 40.9 per cent, 7.1 per cent and 22.6 per cent, respectively, against the same period last year.

During this period, Việt Nam welcomed 873,400 European visitors, posting a year-on-year growth of 23.7 per cent, while the number of American tourists rose 11.1 per cent to 370,100, of which visitors from the United States reached 268,300, up 9.2 per cent.

Visitors from the Australian continent touched 172,300 people, up 7.7 per cent over the same period in 2016.

Việt Nam also welcomed 14,900 African tourists in this period, recording a year-on-year increase of 34 per cent.

In May, 972,800 people visited Việt Nam, down 9.2 per cent over the previous month but up 26.8 per cent against the same period last year.

In 2016, the number of foreign tourists to Việt Nam set new records, crossing 10 million visitors, up 26 per cent year-on-year. The total tourism revenue in 2016 was VNĐ400 trillion (US$17.6 billion), accounting for 6.8 per cent of the country’s GDP.

Việt Nam’s Political Bureau has issued an important resolution on the country’s tourism development till 2035. Tourism has been identified as a leading economic sector that can drive socio-economic development.

The country is expected to see 17-20 million international visitors and 82 million domestic visitors, and tourism is expected to account for 10 per cent of the GDP by 2020. The tourism revenue is forecast to touch US$35 billion by that time.

Việt Nam has also set a target to become one of Southeast Asia’s leading travel destinations by 2030. — VNS