Foreign visitors flock to tourist hotspots during New Year

Over 89,000 foreign tourists visited Hoi An town during the three-day holiday that began on Saturday, while the number of domestic tourists was a third of that, according to the Quang Nam Province tourism department.

"This was a positive sign, signaling a prosperous year for the tourism industry," said Nguyen Thanh Hong, director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Da Nang City received 58,000 tourists, with foreigners accounting for 60% of them.

The south-central province of Khanh Hoa, home to Nha Trang and Cam Ranh beach towns, were crowded with foreign tourists.

On just the first day of the new year more than 300 tourists from South Korea and Kazakhstan arrived at Cam Ranh Airport.

Do Thi Hang, director of Amega Travel Company in Khanh Hoa, said since the end of 2022 her company has been serving a large number of visitors from Central Asia.

"Tourists from Central Asia usually have a long holiday of up to a month and stay at resorts in Bai Dai, Cam Lam and Nha Trang."

Ho Chi Minh City also witnessed signs of tourism revival, receiving 1.6 million tourists during the holidays, 35,000 of them foreigners.

Hanoi welcomed 208,000 tourists, with foreigners accounting for a fifth.

But the average hotel occupancy rate in tourist hotspots was understandably a low 60% since domestic tourists are likely to travel during the much longer Lunar New Year holidays that will last for seven days from January 20.

The country only received 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, or 70% of its target.

However, revenues from tourism were worth VND495 trillion (just $21 billion), or 23% above the target, thanks to a domestic tourism boom, according to the General Statistics Office.

The industry has a target of eight million foreign tourists for this year.