Vietnam received approximately 992,000 foreign visitors in the first quarter of this year, down by 16 percent from the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The number of visitors coming from Vietnam’s traditional markets such as China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Taiwan sharply decreased by 11-25 percent as compared with last year. Only the US, Australian and Canadian markets saw rises of between 5-17 percent.

Travel companies blamed this downward trend on the global financial crisis and economic recession and the ineffective cooperation among domestic tourism businesses in implementing tourism stimulus packages.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is joining efforts with travel agencies to reverse the situation.

VietNamNet/SGGP