Visa exemptions boost tourists from Western Europe

By Ha Phuong   May 27, 2016 | 07:03 pm PT
Visa exemptions boost tourists from Western Europe
Vietnam's terraced fields. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Thanh Chung
As visa exemptions for five countries in Western Europe have become effective, the number of foreign tourists to Vietnam has jumped by 30 percent on-year, the General Statistics Office said today.

Last month, the number of foreigners choosing Vietnam as travel destination reached approximately 757 thousand, up 30 percent on-year. Most visitors traveled by air, accounting for 85 percent. The rest arrived in Vietnam by sea or by road.  

After 10 months of visa exemptions for the U.K., France, Germany, Spain and Italy becoming effective, Vietnam welcomed 697.2 thousand visitors from Western Europe in May, marking a 13.9 percent increase on-year, with Italian visitors experiencing the biggest jump of 30.1 percent, followed by visitors from the U.K., 23.3 percent, and Spain, 22.4 percent.   

However, the number of visitors from Europe fell by 22.8 percent on-month amid the overall drop of 4.1 percent. Oceania is the continent that saw the biggest drop this month, with only 158 thousand visitors, down 33.7 percent. In contrast, visitors from Asian countries have seen a second consecutive rise as Vietnam welcomed nearly three million this month, up 3.9 percent.

 
 
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