Vietnam tourism "the fastest growing in the world"

Along with Japan, Vietnam is the country with the fastest growing number of tourists in the world in the first 6 months of this year, according to the United Nations Tourism Organization.

Global tourist arrivals in the first six months of the year increased 5% compared to the same period in 2024 and were nearly 4% higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to a report by the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) on September 9. Nearly 690 million international tourists traveled around the world from January to June, 33 million more than the same period in 2024.

Some of the destinations that recorded the strongest increases included Japan and Vietnam, up 21%, followed by Morocco up 19%, South Korea up 15%, Malaysia and Indonesia both up 9%.

According to data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism , in the first 6 months of the year, Vietnam welcomed nearly 11 million arrivals, an increase of 17% over the same period in 2024 and 1.3 times higher than the same period in 2019. In the first eight months of the year, international visitors to Vietnam reached nearly 14 million, an increase of nearly 22% over the same period last year. According to experts, Vietnam's tourism has recovered and is higher than pre-pandemic levels thanks to visa relaxation policies, promotion and opening of new routes to tourist hotspots such as Khanh Hoa and Da Nang.

American tourists visiting Hue .

Among the continents, Africa recorded the strongest growth, with 12% compared to the same period last year, of which North Africa increased the most, with 14%. Asia-Pacific increased by 11%, equivalent to a recovery of 92% compared to pre-pandemic. Northeast Asia increased by 20% compared to 2024 but still 8% lower than pre-pandemic. The Middle East decreased by 4% compared to the same period, but still 29% higher than pre-pandemic.

Europe welcomed nearly 340 million international visitors, up 4% compared to last year and 7% compared to 2019. Central and Eastern Europe was the region with the strongest growth at 9% but still lower than the 11% figure of 2019. The tourism industries of the Netherlands, Spain and France were the countries with the strongest growth, 5-7%.

The Americas increased by 3%, but the increase in visitors was not evenly distributed, mainly concentrated in South America with 14%. North America had unchanged visitors.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said that despite global challenges, international tourism remains on track to show strong resilience. The first six months of the year saw an increase in arrivals and revenues in most destinations around the world, contributing positively to local economies. However, this continues to place greater responsibility on countries to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth.

In terms of air transport, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said international traffic and capacity increased by 7% in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2024. Global hotel occupancy rates reached 69% in June, close to the 70% level in the same period in 2024.

International tourism receipts also increased sharply. Japan recorded an 18% increase in the year to June, the UK increased by 13% (year to March), France increased by 9%, Spain and Türkiye both increased by 8%. China's outbound tourism spending increased by 16% (year to March), followed by Spain, the UK and Singapore with increases of 10-15%.

However, high transport and accommodation costs and other economic factors continue to pose major challenges for the industry. Tourism inflation is forecast to decline from 8% in 2024 to 6.8% in 2025, but is still much higher than pre-pandemic levels (3.1%). In addition, economic and geopolitical instability and rising trade tariffs also affect tourism.

The UN Tourism survey also showed that the world's confidence index in traveling increased slightly for the period September-December. On a scale of 0-200, the score was 120, higher than the 114 in the period May-August. Nearly 50% of experts participating in the survey forecast a positive outlook, while 16% predicted the world tourism situation would worsen.

Despite global uncertainty, UN Tourism maintains its forecast for international arrivals to increase by 3-5% in 2025.

vnexpress.net

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/du-lich-viet-nam-tang-truong-manh-nhat-the-gioi-post881982.html