HCMC – Vietnam attracted nearly 5.6 million international visitors in the first half of this year, achieving 69% of the full-year target, reported the local media.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that this accomplishment signifies the country’s tourism industry returning to 66% of pre-pandemic levels.
Notably, five tourism source markets have exceeded the levels of the same period in 2019, before the pandemic. Cambodia saw a remarkable increase of 338%, followed by India with 236%, Laos with 117%, Thailand with 108.4%, and Singapore with 107.4%.
The U.S. and Australia are the two markets that have nearly returned to normal conditions in 2019, achieving 95% and 92%, respectively.
Positive signs of recovery are also observed in markets such as South Korea, the UK, Germany and France.
However, the Chinese market only achieved a 22.4% recovery rate due to the delay in reopening for tourist groups until March 15, 2023.
South Korea maintained its top ranking in sending visitors to Vietnam from January to June, with 1.6 million visitors, accounting for 28% of the total. China ranked second, followed by the U.S.
Among the European Union visitors, the largest portions were from the U.K., France, and Germany. Additionally, approximately 62,000 Russians visited Vietnam during the period.
In June alone, the U.S. market showed the most sustainable growth, with a 52% increase compared to the previous month. The tourism source markets of China and South Korea also experienced strong growth.
This year, the country’s tourism industry aims to attract 110 million tourists, including eight million international visitors and 102 million domestic tourists, generating total revenue of VND650,000 billion.