Tour guide numbers jump as tourism picks up

There are 3,423 registered international tour operators, up 45% as foreign tourists have started flocking again to Vietnam, according to a report from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

In June the number of foreign tourists is estimated at 975,000, 6.4% more than in May.

In the first half of this year Vietnam received more than 5.5 million visitors, or 69% of this year’s eight-million target.

Industry insiders hope to see a jump in arrival numbers following the extension of tourist e-visas from 30 to 90 days from August 15.

After the country closed its borders to foreign tourists in March 2020, tour guides quit their jobs en masse and travel firms shut down.

Vietnam reopened in March last year.