Vietnam welcomes 7.8 million int’l tourists in 8 months, nears 2023’s target

The number is 5.4 times higher than in 2022, but it is still only 69.2% of what it was during the same time in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the latest report from the General Statistics Office. 

In August alone, more than 1.2 million people from other countries came to the U.S. This was 17.2% more than the previous month and 2.5 times more than the same time last year.

Out of the 7.8 million tourists, 6.9 million came by plane (87.6%), 909,700 came by car (11.6%), and 59,700 came by boat (0.8%).

From January to August, 2.27 million tourists came to Vietnam from South Korea. After that, 950,000 tourists came from China.

Chinese Taipei, Japan, the U.S., Cambodia, Thailand, Australia, and Malaysia were also very important source markets.

The tourist business gets a big boost from a new visa strategy

The Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board's Secretariat Director, Hoang Nhan Chinh, said that the new visa policy would give the tourist industry a big boost at the end of the year when foreign tourism is at its highest.

The new strategy would help the tourism industry find new markets, get more people to visit Vietnam, keep them there longer, and spend more money. 

Hoang emphasized that this strategy will also help increase the number of people who fly, make international trade easier, and bring more foreign investment to the country.

On June 24, the Vietnamese National Assembly passed the Law on Amendments and Additions to a Number of Articles of the Law on the Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens, as well as the Law on Foreigners' Entry into, Exit from, Transit through, and Residence in Vietnam.

So, if a tourist gets an e-visa, they can enter and leave the country as many times as they want within 90 days without having to go through the process of getting a new visa.

Citizens of 13 countries that Vietnam exempts directly from visas will be allowed to stay for 45 days (up from 15 days) and can be considered for a visa and an increase of their stay if the rules are followed.

Resolution No. 127/NQ-CP, signed August 14, 2023, says that starting August 15, all foreigners arriving at 52 ports of entry will be given an e-visa.

Source: VGP