By the end of 2024, can Vietnam tourism reach 18 million international visitors?

Vietnam needs to welcome approximately 3.9 million more international tourists in the last two months of the year to achieve its target of 18 million international tourists in 2024.

In 2024, Vietnam's tourism sector aims to welcome 18 million international visitors and approximately 110 million domestic tourists. This is considered an "ambitious" target for this "smoke-free" industry.

According to the General Statistics Office, after 10 months, the number of international visitors to Vietnam reached over 14.1 million, an increase of 41.3% compared to the same period last year. Therefore, in the last two months of the year, Vietnam needs to welcome an additional 3.9 million international visitors to achieve its target.

By the end of 2024, could Vietnam's tourism industry reach 18 million international visitors?

Commenting on this issue, Mr. Pham Duy Nghia, CEO of Vietfoot Travel and Vice President of the Hanoi Travel Association, said: "This is unlikely to be achieved. I believe that, given the current situation, Vietnam can certainly welcome around 17 million international tourists in 2024, but to reach the target of 18 million, a breakthrough is needed."

The CEO of Vietfoot Travel explained that Vietnam is currently in its peak season for international tourists, from October to March each year. However, the global economy is experiencing a crisis and instability due to political factors, including Russia and the Middle East. These are among Vietnam's major tourist markets. Therefore, the number of international tourists visiting Vietnam this year may not meet expectations.

However, according to Mr. Nghia, the overall results for the year can still satisfy Vietnam's tourism industry. "We have made the best and most open preparations to make it easy for international tourists to come to Vietnam. It is only due to objective factors that the supply has decreased," Mr. Nghia emphasized, and expressed his expectation that Vietnam's tourism industry will make a breakthrough in 2025.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tran The Dung - CEO of Vietluxtour, is optimistic that the Vietnamese tourism industry can absolutely achieve its set goals.

"For Vietluxtour specifically, from October until now, we have been welcoming three times the number of tourists compared to the previous period. Therefore, the industry's target of welcoming approximately 1.9 million tourists per month is entirely achievable as Vietnam is currently in the peak season for international visitors. I predict that we will achieve that target or nearly reach it, not fall too far short," Mr. Dung stated.

Sharing this optimistic view, economist Vo Tri Thanh believes that Vietnam could welcome around 18 million international tourists in 2024 and achieve its set target.

" The number might be slightly lower or higher, but it won't be too far from the target. I absolutely believe the tourism industry can achieve this, especially since Vietnam is currently experiencing its peak season for international visitors ," the expert commented.

According to Mr. Thanh, in order to attract more international tourists, Vietnam needs to learn from past experiences and leverage its existing strengths. " We can clearly see the shift in tourist patterns, with many new markets coming to Vietnam, such as large groups of tourists from India. This shows that we are perfectly capable of welcoming large groups of tourists ," Mr. Thanh emphasized.

Therefore, experts believe that Vietnam needs to strongly promote its tourism activities in the coming time to attract more new and high-quality tourist markets. At the same time, policies are needed to connect domestic service industries, thereby improving the quality of domestic services and encouraging international tourists to return to Vietnam multiple times.

Previously, regarding the target of attracting 17-18 million international tourists in 2024, Mr. Nguyen Le Phuc, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, stated that this goal is entirely achievable. He attributed this to the results of efforts ranging from easing visa policies and promoting the country's image to improving service quality.

"It is expected that in the remaining months of 2024, the number of international visitors to Vietnam will continue to experience breakthrough growth, and the tourism industry will achieve its target of welcoming 17-18 million international visitors this year." A representative from the National Tourism Administration stated.

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