Foreign arrivals to Việt Nam surge in March as country reopens

Foreign visitors welcomed at Đà Nẵng International Airport on March 27. 2022. — VNA/VnExpress News Photo

HÀ NỘI — The number of international arrivals to Việt Nam in March increased by 41.4 per cent over the previous month and 2.2 times against the same period last year.

The figures were released by the General Statistics Office (GSO) as Việt Nam starts to resume international tourism and most international flights have been restored.

In the first quarter of this year, the number of foreign tourists to the country reached nearly 91,000, a year-on-year rise of 89.1 per cent. Among them, visitors arriving by air accounted for nearly 90.5 per cent of the total international arrivals to Việt Nam, an increase of 165.2 per cent.

Revenue from accommodation and food services in the January-March period increased by 1.2 per cent year on year, while tourism revenue rose by 1.9 per cent year on year.

From March 15, tourism activities have been fully reopened for both international and domestic tourism, via air, road, rail, and sea routes.

Conditions and regulations on immigration and health for international tourists have become much more favourable.

The unilateral visa exemption policy for 13 countries has been restored, along with the immigration policy as before the pandemic.

According to Director General of the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Trùng Khánh the reopening of tourism activities from March 15 is a very important milestone for Việt Nam’s tourism industry.

It not only restores the economy but also affirms that Việt Nam’s is a safe and friendly destination, contributing to improving the position of the country’s tourism in the context that tourism in other countries around the world is also recovering. After March 15, tourism activities in many localities have been vibrant again with promotions to attract tourists.

The National Tourism Year-Quảng Nam 2022 with the theme “a green tourism destination” was officially opened at Hội An Memory Island in Hội An City, Quảng Nam Province on March 26. This is the largest annual tourism event jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People’s Committee of Quảng Nam Province.

The event was announced at the ongoing World Expo 2020 in Dubai which attracts much attention from international visitors. — VnExpress News