Tourists keep coming to Vietnam
Ha Noi, Oct. 24 (VNA) -- Viet Nam is likely to welcome about 2.2 million foreign tourists to earn about USD 1.4 billion this year, despite the September 11 tragedy in the United States, according to an official report presented at a conference in Ha Noi this morning, Oct.24.
Viet Nam welcomed 1,776,859 foreign tourists in the first nine months of the year or a year-on-year increase of 10.2 percent, the report said, adding that the country had set a yearly target of welcoming 2.4 million foreign tourists in 2001.
The report emphasized that the number of both foreign and domestic tourists grew by about 20 percent on average in the three years since 1999 and said "In 1999-2001, the number of foreign tourists rose by 700,000 visitors and that of domestic tourists, by 2.5 visitors, thus helping the country earn between USD 1-1.2 billion per year on average from tourism."
"Viet Nam has not been hit by a downturn in tourism business as other countries but it has regained its traditional tourism markets such as China, France, Japan and Taiwan in recent years," according to the report.
However, Viet Nam has not yet explored all its potential to make tourism one of its key economic sectors, noted the participants of the conference held to review the three-year implementation of the Party Politburo's resolution on tourism development in the new situation.
"Viet Nam's tourist programmes are not yet diversified and not so attractive," many participants said, adding "There are only a few entertainment and recreation sites for tourists throughout the country."
The participants stressed that the tourism sector, with help from other concerned ministries and agencies, must do its utmost to achieve the target of welcoming between 3.5-4 million foreign tourists and about 15-16 million domestic visitors to earn USD 2 billion for the country by 2005 and about USD 4-5 billion by 2010.--VNA
