Tourism Revenues to Hit US$3.1Bln This Year

Vietnam is expected to earn as much as US$3.1 billion from international tourist arrivals this year, a sharp increase from US$2.57 billion in 2004 and US$2.19 billion in 2003, according to local experts.

 

The rise is attributed to a soaring number of foreign visitors to Vietnam as well as their increased spending in the country, experts said.

 

This year, the total number of foreign tourists to Vietnam is expected to reach 3.4 million, surpassing the initial target of 3.2 million and also setting a new record for the country. It received 2.93 million in 2004 and 2.43 million in 2003.

 

In the first ten months of this year, Vietnam welcomed almost 2.85 million foreign visitors, up 20.3 per cent on-year, mainly thanks to the country’s prestige as a safe and friendly destination. Moreover, numerous promotion activities as well as diversified tourism products have also been drawing more and more people from other countries

 

Still, the current number of foreign visitors to Vietnam is equivalent for only 4.1 per cent of the country’s population, and Vietnam will have more chances to raise the proportion to the global average level of 12 per cent, the domestic experts said.

 

Many international tourism organizations have also forecast a soaring trend in international arrivals to Vietnam in coming years.

 

According to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Vietnam will receive 3.36 million foreign arrivals in 2005, 3.64 million in 2006 and 3.89 million in 2007. The total will account for 5.87 per cent, 5.8 per cent, and 5.75 per cent of the total visitors to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), respectively.

 

It also ranks Vietnam fifth in attracting foreign visitors among ASEAN members, after Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, in the next three years.

 

Meanwhile, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has predicted Vietnam will become one of the world’s top ten major tourist destinations in the next ten years.

 

Regarding foreign tourists’ spending in the country, the average level is also on the rise from the 2003’s level of US$74.6 per head per day. Singaporeans seemed to be the most generous with daily per capita expenses of US$124.3, followed by those from Hong Kong with US$96.4 and Thailand US$96.1m Malaysia $95, Italy US$94.4 and the US$92.8.

 

In that year, each foreign arrival in the country already spent a total of US$902.7, with Russian tourists topping the list at US$1,753, Americans US$1,645, British US$1,545, Germans US$1,420 and Australians at US$1,386.