Vietnam welcomes five-millionth foreign visitors

The Vietnam National Administration of
Tourism (VNAT) presented a gift and an insignia to Chinese visitor Zhu
Ying, the five-millionth foreign visitor of Vietnam this year, who
descended at Noi Bai National Airport on the evening of Dec.
24.

She was also offered a package tour of Hue-Da Nang-Hoi An for two people by the Vietnam-Hanoi Tourism Company.

VNAT
General Director Nguyen Van Tuan described it as an important event of
the tourism sector, affirming the position of Vietnam on the world’s
tourism map.

The tourism sector also presented gifts and
insignias to two other Chinese tourists, who were the 4,999,999th and
5,000,001st visitor to Vietnam.

The year 2010 is the
first year that Vietnam set a record growth of foreign tourists with
an increase of 1.2 million people from last year.

The year also sees the highest number of foreign arrivals to Vietnam over the past 20 years.

The achievements were attributable to tourism promotion campaigns launched in 2009 and 2010./.

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Visitors flock toVietnam as tourism booms

Vietnam attributed part of its success in potentially attracting
over 5 million foreign arrivals this year -- against its original target
of 4.2 million -- to a destination image promotion.

Deputy Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Hoang
Thi Diep told the opening session of a two-day Hanoi international
workshop on December 16 that the hospitality industry had intensified
investment in promoting iconic tourism images of national destinations
in foreign markets.

The industry has launched an
exclusive TV channel on tourism, contributing to increasing public
awareness about green tourism and tapping natural advantages as well as
cultural and historic interests and attracting investment in
hospitality.

The tourism TV channel has also
provided information on services and products for domestic holidaymakers
and foreign tourists, Diep reported.

The two-day
workshop attracted 150 participants, including representatives from the
UN World Tourism Organisation, international experts and travel agent
executives..,

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Vietnam extends visa fee exemption through year’s end

Vietnam has extended a program to waive visa fees for foreign tourists through the end of this year, the government announced on Thursday.

Tourists coming to Vietnam on trips organized by travel agencies under the “Vietnam Your Destination” campaign are eligible for the fee exemption scheme, according to a report published on the government's website.

The current cost of an arrival visa is US$25 for each foreign tourist.

The country is implementing the “Vietnam Your Destination” promotion campaign, following a similar program last year. It had previously planned to offer the visa fee exemptions until September only.

Foreign visitors to Vietnam in the first nine months reached 3.7 million, up 34.2 percent from the same period of last year, according to the General Statistics Office. Vietnam is expected to welcome 4.2 million foreign arrivals this year.

The government’s report cited experts who attributed the sharp increase in arrivals this year to effective promotion policies. The millennium anniversary in Hanoi has also proven an attractive draw for foreign tourists, it said. 

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