Int’l arrivals to Vietnam still increase despite sea dispute

The Vietnamese tourism industry still enjoyed steady growth in the first six months of this year despite a decline in the number of tourists from Chinese-speaking markets in May due to the ongoing dispute in the East Vietnam Sea, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said Wednesday.

The number of domestic and international tourists – as well as revenues generated from holidaymakers – all expanded in the year’s first half, the VNAT said at a meeting to summarize its six-month operations.

Vietnam welcomed 4.28 million international travelers in the first two quarters of the year, a 21.11 percent increase from a year earlier. The number of domestic tourists also rose 6.9 percent to 23.4 million, according to VNAT statistics.

Tourism revenues were estimated at VND125 trillion (US$5.88 billion), a 22.5 percent year-on-year rise.

VNAT chief Nguyen Van Tuan, however, admitted that international holidaymakers, mostly from Chinese-speaking markets, were on a decline in May due to the tension over a Chinese-run illegal drilling rig in the East Vietnam Sea.

The Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig has been illicitly sitting within Vietnamese waters since May 1, with Beijing repeatedly ignoring strong protests from Hanoi.

The tourism sector has enacted measures to deal with the situation, Tuan said.

The VNAT has launched information sessions and promotional campaigns at some key markets to lure international tourists, while also launching programs to boost the number of domestic travelers, according to the administration chief.

Vietnam will earmark VND60 billion ($2.82 million) from the state budget for the national-level tourism promotion campaigns in 2014, Tuan added.

Other tourism agencies and localities countrywide will also commission programs collectively worth VND150 billion ($7.06 million) to boost tourism growth.

The Southeast Asian country is expected to welcome up to 8.2 million international tourists and 37 million domestic holidaymakers, and rake in VND260 trillion ($12.24 billion) from these travelers this year, according to the VNAT.

Source: Tuoitrenews