Viet Nam targets to welcome 18 million foreign visitors in 2026, according a program on tourism development for 2022-2026.
The program, which was developed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Toursm and submitted to the Prime Minister for approval, aims to revitalize the tourism market which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years.
Under the program, tourism revitalization will be carried out in a phased approach, with the first one from 2022 to 2023, during which the sector targets to handle 8-9 million foreign visitors (equivalent to 45-50% of that in 2019) and 65-70 million of domestic visitors (equal to 75-80% of that in 2019).
Total tourism revenue is expected to reach VND 400-450 trillion (US$ 17.5-20 billion or making up 50-55% of that in 2019).
By 2025, the sector plans to receive 15-16 million foreign guests, 75-80 million domestic guests, and to gain VND 680-780 trillion in tourism revenue.
By 2026, the number of international visitors is expected to hit 18 million, up 20 percent from 2025.
Earlier this week, the ministry sent a proposal to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in which it suggested the Government should consider full resumption of international tourism activities from next month's end rather than May as previously planned.
Viet Nam is experimenting partial resumption of international tourism since November 2021 but only seven localities allowed to join this policy, namely Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Dinh. This policy is scheduled to end on March 30.
In another move, the number of international searches about Viet Nam tourism is on an upward trend, which is considered as a positive sign for the industry, according to an analytical data from Google Destination Insights. Specifically, searches began rising from early December and skyrocketed later the same month and in early January.
From the beginning of last month, the volume of international searches for Viet Nam's aviation has remained very high. Notably, the increase rate hit 425 percent on January 21, and 374 percent on February 3 against the same period of 2021.
According to statistics, visitors from such countries as the US, Australia, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, India, the UK and Canada have searched tourism information about Vietnam the most.
The 10 destinations in Viet Nam that draw the most interest of foreigners are Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Phan Thiet, Da Nang, Hoi An, Da Lat, Quy Nhon, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau./.
