Tourism receives positive signals from the beginning of the Year of the Dragon.

One of the popular tourist destinations at the beginning of the year is Tam Coc - Bich Dong (Ninh Binh province). This area, located within the Trang An World Heritage Complex, boasts unique natural landscapes bestowed by nature, along with significant cultural and historical value.

The Trang An tourist complex has attracted a large number of visitors since the beginning of 2024. (Photo: Ninhbinh.gov)

Tam Coc tourist area is located in Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province. Tam Coc means "three caves," consisting of Cave One, Cave Two, and Cave Three. All three caves were formed by the Ngo Dong River cutting through the mountains. The most impressive and attractive time for tourists is in April and May when the rice fields turn a brilliant golden color.

Tam Coc Tourist Area is rated by both domestic and international tourists as a safe, friendly, and hospitable destination.

Speaking to VTC News on the afternoon of February 25th, Mr. Pham Duy Phong, Deputy Director of the Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Tourism, said that the number of tourists visiting Tam Coc - Bich Dong has increased significantly in the first days of the new year 2024.

"Although there are no specific statistics yet, compared to the same period in 2023, the number of tourists visiting Ninh Binh in the first days of the Year of the Dragon 2024 has increased by about 150%. This is a very positive sign for Ninh Binh tourism in particular, and the tourism and service industry in general," Mr. Phong said.

Many coastal tourist destinations attract visitors during the Lunar New Year holiday.

On the same day, informing VTC News, Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, Director of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Tourism, said that in January 2024, the total number of tourists served by accommodation establishments was estimated at 721,500, an increase of 110.2% compared to the same period in 2023. Of these, international tourists were estimated at 520,000, six times higher than the same period; domestic tourists were estimated at 201,500, a decrease of 22% compared to the same period. Tourism revenue was estimated at 3,869.1 billion VND, an increase of 98.4% compared to the same period.

"Entering February, and especially in the days following the Lunar New Year, although there are no specific statistics yet, it is predicted that the number of tourists coming to Khanh Hoa will be relatively high, increasing by about 130% compared to January."

"In the coming time, we will continue to strengthen the implementation of communication activities, promotion and demand stimulation to attract tourists to Khanh Hoa. Besides focusing on promoting some traditional markets such as China and South Korea, Khanh Hoa's tourism industry will also promote some international markets to diversify the sources of tourists coming to Khanh Hoa, such as Thailand, Australia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan...", Ms. Thanh said.

Speaking to VTC News, Mr. Tran The Dung, General Director of Vietluxtour travel company, said that since the beginning of the new year, the company has welcomed and processed procedures for many foreign tourist groups visiting Vietnam and other countries in the Indochina region.

According to Mr. Dung, in the first days of the new year, although the number of tourists was not yet very large, it had increased by about 30% compared to the same period in 2023, showing that the tourism and service market is recovering positively.

“The tours chosen by foreign tourists are to coastal destinations in Vietnam such as Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Da Nang, Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan), Con Dao – Vung Tau (Ba Ria-Vung Tau), and Phu Quoc (Kien Giang). At the same time, tourists also choose cross-Vietnam tours and trips to other Indochinese countries,” Mr. Dung said.

According to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, in January 2024, the number of international tourists visiting Vietnam reached over 1.5 million, an increase of 10.3% compared to December 2023 and a 73.6% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

"This figure is the highest since Vietnam reopened for tourism in March 2022, equivalent to the number of international visitors to Vietnam in January 2019 before the pandemic," the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism stated.

Notably, by mode of arrival, the number of visitors arriving by air reached 1.29 million, an increase of 10.2% compared to the same period in 2019; the number of visitors arriving by sea reached 48,300, double the number in the same period of 2019. Meanwhile, the number of visitors arriving by land only reached 60% of the figure for the same period in 2019.

Many domestic tourist destinations attract international visitors at the beginning of the new year. (Photo: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism)

In terms of market size, South Korea continued to be the largest source market in January with 418,000 arrivals (accounting for 27.6%); China ranked second with 242,000 arrivals; Taiwan (third) with 84,000 arrivals; and the US in fourth place with 76,000 arrivals.

In the following positions, the Australian market rose to 5th place with 62,000 visits, followed by Japan with 61,000 visits, Malaysia with 49,000 visits, India with 46,000 visits, Thailand ranked 9th with 41,000 visits and Cambodia in 10th place with 37,000 visits.

Vietnam's largest source markets for tourists are in Europe, including: the UK with 294,000 visitors, France with 241,000 visitors, Germany with 228,000 visitors, and Russia with 196,000 visitors.

By continent, Asia saw a slight increase of 4.3% compared to the previous month, while other regions experienced strong growth: the Americas increased by 27.3%; Europe by 26.6%, Australia by 68.5%, and Africa by 35.2%.

According to the source market, the main growth drivers in January 2024 came from several major markets such as: South Korea, up 12.2% compared to the previous month; China, up 3.4%; the US, up 28.9%; and Australia, with a remarkable increase of 67.7%.

In particular, January 2024 saw very strong growth from European markets that benefit from unilateral visa exemption policies, such as: the UK (37.4%), France (18.6%), Germany (25.0%), Italy (62.9%), Russia (41.2%), Denmark (74.1%), Sweden (55.9%), and Norway (47.4%).

"This growth demonstrates the clear impact of the policy extending the visa-free stay from 15 days to 45 days for 13 countries under Government Resolution 128/NQ-CP, effective from August 15, 2023. Thus, welcoming over 1.5 million international visitors in the first month of 2024 is very positive news for Vietnam's tourism industry, creating momentum and confidence to strive towards the target of welcoming 17-18 million international visitors in 2024," the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism assessed.

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