Foreign tourists arrive in record numbers this year
(07-12-2007)
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| The 4 millionth international visitor to Viet Nam, David Magidson, with his wife by his side receives a special lucky door prize. The nation has attracted a record number of tourists this year. — VNA/VNS Photo Bui Tuong |
HA NOI — Viet Nam clocked in its 4 millionth international visitor in 2007 yesterday, the highest number in a year recorded so far.
Michael David Magidson, 65, from Connecticut in the US, said he was gobsmacked when he heard he was passenger number 4 million. The retired businessman, on his first ever trip to Viet Nam, had just disembarked from a Viet Nam Airlines’ VN 830 Airbus travelling from Thailand to Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi.
"I’m very surprised and very pleased to have such a really beautiful start to my vacation to beautiful Viet Nam. I’m looking forward to the visit, we’re going to travel from north to south, see the whole country and meet people," he said.
Magidson received a traditional kettledrum-shaped insignia, two places in a HCM City-Phan Thiet tour and a Viet Nam Airlines’ return ticket to any location on the airline’s itinerary.
One step ahead of Magidson was another American, Marolyn Debruin. She received an insignia, two tickets to a four-day Ha Noi – Ha Long Bay tour and a Viet Nam Airlines’ return ticket to any Southeast Asian (ASEAN) country.
Number 4,000,001
Number 4 million and one was Watinee Kanthawee, 37, from Bangkok, who also received the presents.
"I wish I was the 4 millionth visitor. But I’m lucky. I’m very happy to be here today and receive so many wonderful gifts," said Watinee, who is on her fourth holiday to Viet Nam. She said she would use the return ticket for her next trip to HCM City.
Welcoming the 4 millionth international visitor was great news for the tourism sector, deputy general director of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Manh Cuong said.
"It’s an opportunity for the industry to review its gains and make better preparations for further development and international integration in the time to come."
And with three more weeks of 2007 to go, the number of visitors coming to Viet Nam is set to reach 4.3 million by the year end. That’s about 700,000 more visitors than last year, an increase of 17 per cent.
The upward trend is not a new one, in fact the number of international visitors to Viet Nam has been steadily increasing for the last few years. With only about 1 million foreign tourists a year in 1994, in 2005 the figure reached nearly 3.47 million, 18 per cent higher than 2004. In 2006 that number soared to 3.58 million.
Most of Viet Nam’s foreign tourists are Chinese. Nearly 520,000 have come to the country this year. They also topped the list in 2006.
Close behind them are visitors from South Korea, more than 430,000 this year, followed by tourists from Japan, the US, Taiwan, Australia and France. People from Southeast Asian countries Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore also come to Viet Nam and the nation is also becoming popular with new markets New Zealand, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.
Travel to Viet Nam is dominated by holidaymakers, accounting for 78 per cent of arrivals in the past 11 months.
More tourists: more profits
These ever-increasing numbers are earning the country big money. In 2005 the turnover from tourism was US$2.3 billion. In 2006 this rose to 2.85 billion and this year the tourism industry expects to bring in about $3.5 billion.
Total foreign direct investment into tourism is estimated to reach $4.5 billion in 2007.
The nation needs to take advantage of these positive figures, VNAT’s Travel Department head Vu The Binh said.
"However, over 4 million visitors this year is a modest number compared to other countries in the region, such as Thailand or Malaysia. And it’s far below the country’s potential," he said.
Despite this, the country’s pace of development was still impressive, Sai Gon Tourist general director Vo Anh Tai said.
The general director said he believed that with more investment in infrastructure, new package tours with trans-regional and trans-national options, better advertising and more attention to the environment, Vietnamese tourism could easily catch up with other regional countries.
"That goal is not groundless as the sector’s potential is rich. We have marine tourism, cultural tourism and also a number of natural wonders. The point is how the country plans, invests and manages it," Tai said.
Aware of this need for change, in September the tourism industry worked out an action plan following the country’s membership to the World Trade Organisation. The plan focuses on developing tourism infrastructure and facilities, including constructing more hotels and high-grade accommodation to meet changing trends and demand. It will also improve human resources like guides and service staff, boost advertising and protect the environment.
As evidence of its growing image as a top tourist destination, Viet Nam was voted as one of the 20 best travel destinations in 2007 by 30,000 readers of the upmarket travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller. Last year, the country was one of the top five destinations for 2006 in a poll of 1,300 readers on travel site Tripso.com and earned 10th place in two lists compiled by the Future Brand Firm ranking countries in terms of global tourism.
As a further boost, Belgium’s DeMorgen Newspaper published an article proclaiming Viet Nam as one of the three safest countries in the world for tourists. — Vietnam News.
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