HÀ NỘI — The number of international visitors to Việt Nam in January 2024 reached over 1.5 million, increasing 10.3 per cent over the previous month and 73.6 per cent over the same period in 2023.

According to the latest report from the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), this number is equivalent to the number of international visitors visiting Việt Nam in January 2019 — before the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is clearly a sign of hope for Việt Nam's tourism sector, giving it the drive and assurance it needs to reach its target of 110 million domestic tourists and 17–18 million foreign visitors in 2024.

The Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism, according to Deputy Director Phạm Văn Thủy, proposed that the country aim to welcome 17–18 million foreign tourists in 2024, marking a full recovery from the COVID-19 epidemic.

The 12.6 million international visitors to Việt Nam in 2023 surpassed by 1.5 times the initial target of 8 million, and also completed the adjusted target of 12.5 million visitors for the year.

According to Thủy, Việt Nam tourism has many advantages and foundations to achieve the set goals.

Regarding the domestic situation, our country ensures political stability and provides a favourable environment for tourism business investment compared to the region and the world.

Việt Nam's abundance of natural resources, along with its internationally recognised cultural heritage, serve as a foundation for the growth of tourism.

Furthermore, Vietnamese tourism has received numerous awards from foreign organisations in the past year, demonstrating their high regard for the contribution Vietnamese tourism has made to global tourism.

Being acknowledged by international organisations would help other nations trust Việt Nam and prioritise sending tourists there, which will be a strong basis for Vietnamese tourism to grow in the future and draw more foreign visitors.

In addition, the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will further strengthen the promotion of tourism on the international market.

The Authority will collaborate with Vietnamese diplomatic agencies abroad, as well as coordinate with domestic businesses and localities to create quality tourism products.

Thủy highlighted that the tourism industry is an integrated economic sector, therefore, all sectors must be involved, and agencies and municipalities must be connected and united.

The goal of 18 million foreign visitors to Việt Nam in 2024 is entirely attainable if relevant authorities, communities and tourism-related businesses work together to promote an appealing image of Vietnamese travel.

"I hope that we will achieve the goal of 18 million international visitors. Việt Nam has removed institutional bottlenecks and established more open visa policies. Localities have focused on investing in infrastructure and accommodation facilities, as well as the courage of travel companies and connections between businesses to create more attractive tourism products," Thủy said.

Evaluating the goal of welcoming 18 million international visitors in 2024, tourism experts believe that Việt Nam has many opportunities to achieve that number. This is a reasonable number that guarantees success. Setting ambitious targets inspires the travel sector as a whole to make more efforts in 2024. — VNS