Vietnam welcomes more than 1.7 million international visitors in December 2024

(To Quoc) - Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said that the number of international tourists to Vietnam in December 2024 reached 1,747,240 arrivals, an increase of 2.1% compared to November 2024, an increase of 27.4% compared to the same period in 2023.

Thus, thanks to the open visa policy and effective communication and tourism promotion activities, in 2024, the Vietnamese tourism industry welcomed more than 17.5 million international visitors, an increase of 39.5% over the previous year and achieved the target set at the beginning of the year (welcoming 17-18 million visitors).

In 2024, arrivals by air will reach more than 14.8 million, accounting for 84.4%; by road will reach nearly 2.5 million, accounting for 14.2%; by sea will reach nearly 248.1 thousand, accounting for 1.4%.

International visitors to Vietnam from Asia account for 79.6%, Europe (11.3%), America (5.7%) and Africa (0.3%).

In terms of market size , South Korea is the largest market sending visitors to Vietnam in 2024 with 4.5 million arrivals (accounting for 25.98%). China ranks second, reaching 3.7 million arrivals (accounting for 21.26%).

The next positions in the top 10 markets are Taiwan (1.29 million), the US (780 thousand), Japan (711 thousand), India (501 thousand), Malaysia (495 thousand), Australia (491 thousand), Cambodia (475 thousand) and Thailand (418 thousand).

A large number of international tourists come to Sa Pa, Lao Cai

Notably, the potential market of India has grown significantly in recent times, from 138 thousand arrivals in 2022 to 392 thousand arrivals in 2023, and reaching 501 thousand arrivals in 2024, an increase of 2.6 times in just 2 years and currently ranked 6th in the markets sending the most visitors to Vietnam. It can be said that India is one of the most impressive growth markets, contributing to diversifying the source market of Vietnam's tourism.

In terms of growth drivers , major markets in Northeast Asia are the main drivers of international visitor growth in 2024. In particular, the Chinese market will increase by 214.4% compared to 2023, followed by South Korea (+27.1%), Japan (+20.7%), and Taiwan (+51.4%).

Nearby markets in Southeast Asia grew well, including Indonesia (+74.7%), Philippines (+73.6%), Laos (+23.3%), Cambodia (+18.0%), Malaysia (+5.4%) Singapore (+5.9%). The Thai market alone decreased by 14.5%.

Notably, markets in Europe all grew positively, including major markets such as the UK (+20.8%), France (+29.4%), Germany (+24.5%). In addition, there are Italy (+55.8%), Spain (+20.1%), Russia (+84.9%), Denmark (+22.1%), Norway (+23.0%), Sweden (+33.0%). These are all markets that enjoy a unilateral visa exemption policy for entry into Vietnam with a temporary stay of up to 45 days, effective from August 15, 2023.

In terms of recovery compared to 2019 , by region, the Australian market exceeded the 2019 level - reaching 125%; the Americas reached 103%. Asia is almost fully recovered, reaching 97%. Europe recovered 92%.

The recovery of Asian source markets was led by the large market of South Korea with a recovery rate of 106%, Taiwan reached 139%. In addition, India grew dramatically, reaching 297% compared to before the pandemic; similarly, Cambodia reached 208%. Some markets in Southeast Asia recovered very well: Indonesia reached 173%, Laos reached 151%, Philippines reached 148%, Singapore reached 112%.

However, the recovery in Asia has slowed down as traditional markets such as China have only recovered 64%, Japan has reached 75%, Thailand and Malaysia have both recovered 82%.

In Europe, key markets such as Spain reached 109%, Italy reached 126%, Germany reached 110%. The UK and France are almost fully recovered (97%). In addition, the US market has also exceeded 2019 levels, reaching 105%, Australia reached 128%.

Overall, the results of welcoming international visitors in 2024 show a bright picture of Vietnam's tourism industry, successfully completing the very ambitious target set at the beginning of the year, achieving a growth of nearly 40% compared to 2023. In particular, in the context of some key markets recovering slowly, the diversification and development of many potential markets has helped the tourism industry recover spectacularly.

In the past year, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have focused on innovating the content and methods of promotion, promoting the public-private partnership mechanism to successfully implement programs to promote Vietnamese tourism abroad, focusing on countries with comprehensive strategic partnerships such as China, Korea, Japan, the US, Australia, Russia, France, etc., along with a series of programs to introduce Vietnamese tourism at festivals, cultural events, tourism, and international tourism fairs abroad. Along with that, promoting communication and promotion activities on digital platforms to Vietnam's target markets, promoting Vietnamese tourism on CNN - a famous global television channel.

This important result is the driving force for the entire Vietnamese tourism industry to strive to achieve the goal of welcoming 22-23 million international visitors in 2025.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/viet-nam-don-hon-17-trieu-luot-khach-quoc-te-trong-thang-12-2024-20250107110437345.htm