Nearly 33% of international tourists return to Vietnam

The figure was released at a conference in Hanoi on May 15 to announce the results of a survey on the number of international tourists to Vietnam in 2014.

The survey was conducted by the VNAT in October and November of 2014, targeting foreigners and Vietnamese settling abroad. A total of 13,980 questionnaires in six different languages were delivered at random to international tourists to Vietnam after finishing their trips, at seven international border gates including three airports, two land and two sea border gates. Questionnaires were also sent to 1,000 international tour operators and 63 Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism across the nation.

According to survey results, the proportion of international visitors to Vietnam for the first time accounted for about 67% of visitors; for the second time, 18.1%; third time, 5.77%; and over three times, 9.11%. Thus, the percentage of international visitors returning to Vietnam twice or more was at 32.98%.

In addition to investigating the proportion of international visitors returning to Vietnam, the VNAT also surveyed average expenditure and spending of tourists, as well as assessing satisfaction levels of international guests and tourist staying overnight and participating in sightseeing activities.

Accordingly, the average total trip expenditure of visitors registered to stay overnight reached US$1,114.40, while the average daily expenditure of a visitor reached US$125.74 - the highest spending came from Oceania (Australia, New Zealand) with US$1,667 per visitor. Asian guests stayed fewer days and spent about US$861 per passenger during their vacation.

However, Asian visitors also spent the highest in a single day among Vietnam's international tourists, reaching US$126.4 a day. The lowest daily average spending belonged to visitors from Europe atUS$97.8 a day.

For international guests registered to stay in Vietnam, spending on accommodations accounted for the most, while one-day stay visitors spent the most on buying goods and souvenirs.

Through the results, Vietnam has identified that the Asian market remains a priority for the country's tourism sector.

Regarding satisfaction levels, a majority of visitors rated their trips to Vietnam as 'very good' and 'good'. Very few visitors assessed their trip as average, poor or very poor.

VNAT General Director Nguyen Van Tuan stressed the importance of the survey to the tourism industry in order to identify tourism indicators in the tourism statistics system, compiled towards perfecting international tourist indicators following the recommendations of the World Tourism Organisation on tourism statistics.

Currently, statistical work for tourism is important to defining the sector's contribution to the national economy and serving management and policy making in the industry.

(Source: Nhandan Online)