Foreign arrivals increase sharply in two months

Vietnam welcomed more than 1.6 million foreign visitors in the reviewed period, a year-on-year rise of 33.4%, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

On average, 809,100 foreign visitors arrived in Vietnam in a month - a record high so far, said the GSO.

In February alone, arrivals into the country were 842,026, up 8.48% compared to the previous month and 47.6% against the same period last year.

Markets that saw strong growth include Germany ( 262.68%), Russia (70.15%), China (50.11%), Cambodia (36.9%), the Philippines (27.53%), and Italy (26.59%).

Meanwhile, 9.5 million Vietnamese people went on holiday in the past two months, a jump of 21.79% against a year earlier, and total tourism revenue reached VND47 trillion, up 34.28%.

This is a positive signal for the tourism sector given the fact that the world economy has not completely rebounded and a number of national economies remain depressed.

Vietnam ranks 41^st in the world and fourth in Southeast Asia, after Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, in terms of receiving foreign tourists.

Relevant authorities are intensifying efforts to entice tourists to Vietnam by promoting the attractiveness of its landscape, cultural and historical relics, and budget tours.

(Source: VOV News)