Tourists visit a souvenir shop at the Old Quarter in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thành Đạt

HÀ NỘI — Philippine tourists were the biggest spenders in Việt Nam last year, according to a report.

The Statistical Yearbook 2022, recently released by the General Statistics Office, revealed spending habits among tourists visiting Việt Nam.

Tourists from this ASEAN country have doubled their expenditure while travelling in Việt Nam, increasing from US$1,124.7 in 2017 to $2,257.8 in 2019.

Belgian tourists ranked second with $1,995.3, followed by travellers from the US ($1,709.7), Australia ($1,416.5), Denmark ($1,383.5), and Norway ($1,346.2).

The top ten countries with the highest spending while visiting Việt Nam also include the Netherlands ($1,317.5), Canada ($1,315.5), the UK ($1,212.7), and Germany ($1,283.2).

On the other end of the spectrum, the tourists spending the least were from Laos, with an average expenditure of only $343.5 per person, followed by Cambodia ($734.9), Indonesia ($804.9), and South Korea ($838.4).

Overall, the report showed that the average expenditure of international tourists visiting Việt Nam has slightly increased from $1,141.5 in 2017 to $1,151.7 in 2019.

The most significant portion of the average spending went towards accommodation, accounting for over 30 per cent (or $347.2). Spending on food made up 21.9 per cent (or $251.9), local transportation 16 per cent ($184.6), sightseeing 9 per cent ($103.2), and shopping 12.4 per cent ($142.7).

Tourists play nhảy sạp (dancing with bamboo poles) with young people in Hà Nội's downtown area.

Việt Nam officially reopened to tourism on March 15, 2022. In 2022, the country received nearly 3.7 million international visitors, a 23.3-fold increase compared to the previous year but only about 20 per cent of the figure in 2019.

In 2023, Việt Nam has set a target of welcoming eight million international tourists (in the beginning of the year, before its biggest tourist sending market China officially announced reopening plans), aiming for a total revenue of VNĐ650 trillion. In the first six months of the year, the tourism industry has received nearly 5.6 million visitors, reaching 70 per cent of the set plan. — VNS