International tourists visit Hùng Lô ancient village in Việt Trì in the northern province of Phú Thọ. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam welcomed about 1.87 million international arrivals in the first nine months of this year, 16.4 times higher than the same period last year but down 85.4 per cent compared to the same time in 2019 before COVID-19 broke out, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

In September alone, the country saw nearly 432,000 foreign visitors, down 11.2 per cent over the previous month.

The majority of the arrivals were from Asia (1.31 million tourists, up 13.3 times from last year), followed by Europe (261,600 tourists), America (209,600 tourists), Oceania (84,600), and Africa (6,400).

International arrivals by air reached nearly 1.66 million, accounting for 88.6 per cent of the total.

The country still aims to welcome 5 million international visitors in 2022, with foreign tourists' peak season in the later months of the year. Việt Nam reopened borders in March this year, with all COVID-19 restrictions such as vaccination status, proof of negative tests or mandatory quarantines dropped.

Total revenue from accommodation and catering services reached VNĐ430.9 trillion (US$18 million) in the first nine months, a 54.7 per cent rise year on year, while earnings from travelling services reached about VNĐ18.2 trillion, 3.9 times higher than the figure recorded in the same period last year, and equivalent to only 55.9 per cent of the same period of 2019.

The tourism sector has actively strengthened tourism promotion activities to attract more foreign visitors.

Recently, the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has coordinated with the social media network TikTok and the Việt Nam Tourism Association to introduce “Ngân nga Việt Nam,” which calls on users to discover the beauty of traditional music, celebrate culture and share national pride, thereby contributing to promoting Việt Nam's tourism.

The Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 will be held during November 9-14 in the central province of Quảng Nam, focusing on the recovery of tourism, giving an opportunity to travel firms to connect and introduce the culture, people and tourism of Việt Nam to countries in the greater Mekong sub-region. — VNS