Foreign arrivals to Vietnam in March surge

The number of international arrivals to Vietnam in March increased by 41.4 percent over the previous month and 2.2 times against the same period last year as Vietnam has fully reopened and many international flights have been restored, according to General Statistics Office (GSO).

In the first quarter of this year, the number of foreign tourists to the country reached nearly 91,000, a year-on-year rise of 89.1 percent. Among them, visitors arriving by air accounted for nearly 90.5 percent of the total international arrivals to Vietnam, an increase of 165.2 percent.

Revenue from accommodation and food services in the January-March period increased by 1.2 percent year on year, while tourism revenue rose by 1.9 percent year on year.

From March 15, tourism activities have been fully reopened for both international and domestic tourism, via air, road, rail, and sea routes.

Conditions and regulations on immigration and health for international tourists have become much more favourable.

The unilateral visa exemption policy for 13 countries has been restored, along with the immigration policy as before the pandemic.

Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh affirmed that the reopening of tourism activities from March 15 is a very important milestone for Vietnam's tourism industry.

It does not only restore the economy but also affirms that Vietnam is a safe and friendly destination, contributing to improving the position of the country's tourism in the context that tourism in other countries around the world is also recovering, he said, adding that after March 15, tourism activities in many localities have been vibrant again with promotions to attract tourists.

The National Tourism Year-Quang Nam 2022 with the theme "a green tourism destination" was officially opened at Hoi An Memory Island in Hoi An city, Quang Nam province on March 26. This is the largest annual tourism event jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People's Committee of Quang Nam province.

The event was announced at the ongoing World Expo 2020 in Dubai which attracts much attention and attention from international visitors.