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| Tourists enjoy traveling on the Saigon River (Source: https://www.hcmcpv.org.vn) |
The figure represents a year-on-year rise of 62.7%, and is equivalent to 50.5% of the yearly target.
According to the municipal Department of Tourism, in the January-June period, the country's biggest metropolis served over 1.9 million foreign tourists, up 306% year-on-year, but equal to only 38.8% of the yearly target.
Particularly in June 2023, the number of international tourists to Vietnam reached 975,010 arrivals, an increase of 6.4% compared to May 2023. In which, the largest international tourist markets include the Republic of Korea, China, Taiwan (China), the US, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and Australia.
According to data from Google's travel trend tracking tool, since the beginning of the year, the number of searches about Vietnam's tourism has continuously increased. Search for Vietnam is in the top of the world, from 11th position to 6th position. Vietnam is also the only destination in Southeast Asia in this group.
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Saigon River has many advantages for waterway tourism development
(Source: tienphong.vn) |
The Vietnamese National Assembly has agreed to extend the e-visa from 30 days to 90 days, valid for multiple entry. At the same time, the country increases the temporary stay period for those entering the visa-free category from 15 days to 45 days. This policy will officially take effect from August 15. On the other hand, the Government is also considering expanding the unilateral visa exemption to attract international visitors to Vietnam.
The city is organising a wide range of activities, with an aim to attract more tourists, especially foreigners, to increase the revenue.
Notably, in early August, a river festival was held in the city for the first time, with a series of cultural and entertainment activities related to its waterways for locals and tourists.
The three-day festival aimed at preserving and promoting the city’s culture and history, and make use of its waterways to boost the economy and tourism in order to build the city’s brand as a culturally rich riverside urban area.
Recently, the municipal People’s Committee also issued a plan for the development of waterway tourism products in the 2023-2025 period. By 2025, it aims to develop at least 10 waterway tours and waterway tour programmes linking seaports and river routes.
The number of international cruise ship tourists arriving in the city will be 100,000 in 2023 and 2024, and rise 12-15% in the following years.
In the 2023-24 period, the city’s cruise industry is expected to hit 500 billion VND (21 million USD) per year in revenue, and increase by 12% in the following years./.