HCM CITY — Overseas visitors stayed in HCM City for 5.2 days on average in 2017, with foreign tourists on holidays spending four days, according to a recent survey jointly conducted by the city’s Department of Tourism and the Statistics Office.

The survey conducted last year showed that overseas visitors who spent four to seven days accounted for 48 per cent of all foreign visitors, while those who stayed eight to 14 days accounted for 40 per cent.

International tourists for leisure travel accounted for 73 per cent of the total overseas visitors, while tourists for conference and business travel accounted for 7 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively.

Foreign tourist spending was an average of VNĐ3.3 million (US$145) a day.

Accommodation spending was the largest expense (33 per cent), followed by food and beverage services (20 per cent), shopping (18 per cent) and travelling (10 per cent).

Domestic tourists stayed in the city for 3.6 days on average, with tourists staying for one to three days accounting for 61 per cent of all tourists, and those staying for four to seven days accounting for 35 per cent.

The average spending of domestic tourists amounted to VNĐ 1.58 million ($69) a day.

Spending on accommodation for domestic travellers was the highest expense (22.9 per cent), followed by food and beverage services (18.9 per cent), shopping (13 per cent), and travelling (12.2 per cent).

Sixty-nine per cent of foreign tourists chose more flexible “free and easy” tours, while the remaining 31 per cent joined group tours.

Nearly 81 per cent of domestic tourists chose free and easy tours, while group tours accounted for more than 19 per cent.   

Last year, the city welcomed 6.38 million overseas tourist arrivals and 24.9 million domestic tourist arrivals.

In the first six months of this year, the number of international tourist arrivals to the city soared by 26.5 per cent year-on-year to reach 3.83 million, according to the city’s Department of Tourism.

Tourism revenue amounted to VNĐ62.6 trillion ($2.74 billion), up 15.7 per cent year-on-year. — VNS