Nation greets 2.7 million foreign tourists, Hanoi

HA NOI — Viet Nam welcomed 2.7 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of the year, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 4.6 per cent, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. The Asia-Pacific Tourism Association has predicted that Viet Nam would see about 3.7 million international visitors this year, accounting for 5.8 per cent of total foreign visits to Southeast Asia. The figure was projected to grow to 3.9 million visits in 2007. The tourism sector has aimed for an annual growth rate of 10-20 per cent, according to the association. In the month of September alone, Viet Nam welcomed around 290,000 international visitors, 9 per cent more than in September of last year. Visits from China fell, but the number of visitors from Thailand grew by 48 per cent, while visits from South Korea rose 29 per cent and visits from Malaysia increased 27 per cent. Tourist visits from Europe also grew, with visits from Denmark increasing 26 per cent, from Russia 21 per cent, and from Germany 16 per cent. Rising numbers of international tourists also caused hotels to reach occupancy levels of 70-80 per cent. Many luxury hotels in Ha Noi and HCM City achieved occupancy of 100 per cent. Bui Thi Thuc Anh, director of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Exhibition Organization Co said the development of tourism and foreign investment has spurred the development of the hospitality industry to meet the fast-rising demand of international tourists. Viet Nam currently has more than 130,000 rooms in 6,000 accommodation establishments, 2,500 which are rated at the five-star standard. Many other hotels and restaurants are striving to achieve standards of three- to five-stars. A food and hotel expo has been held annually in Viet Nam to help promote development of the tourism and hospitality sector. According to figures from HCM City Tourism Department, the number of international tourists in HCM City so far this year has grown 12 per cent over the same period last year. Large hotels in HCM City have reported a sharp increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting the city since early September. Many first-class hotels such as the Sheraton Sai Gon, the New World Hotel and the Rex Hotel have been at full capacity recently, especially so on weekends. The HCM City Tourism Department says that the total number of international tourists in HCM City this year may reach as high as 2.3 million.