VietNamNet Bridge
- Vietnam’s
tourism industry is witnessing its golden age.

Vietnam
is emerging as one of the top tourism spots for visitors from Thailand, Australia,
Japan and Singapore for
their next vacations, according to a recent tourism survey conducted by Visa, a
global payments technology company, and the Pacific Asia Travel Association.

The Asia-Pacific Travel Intentions Survey 2010 included
6,714 respondents from 13 countries and territories. It said that among future
inbound tourists who were most likely to visit Vietnam
in the next two years, 17 per cent were from Thailand,
16 per cent were from Australia
and 11 per cent were from Japan
and Singapore.

These countries are Vietnam’s key tourism markets, according
to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s (MCST) Vietnam National
Administration of Tourism.

According to Vietnam’s
General Statistics Office, Vietnam
received over 4.6 million foreign tourists during this year’s first 11 months,
up 36.5 per cent against the same period last year.

Tourists from Thailand
to Vietnam augmented by 42.6
per cent, Australia 31 per
cent, Japan 22 per cent, China 76.7 per cent and South Korea 38
per cent against 2009’s corresponding period.

Foreign visitors most likely to visit Vietnam in the
next two years ranked natural scenery, new places and affordability as their
top attractions. They are also likely to be single and preferred to stay at
four-star hotels compared with other types of accommodation. They would budget
more than $1,200 for their next vacation and pay more for good cooking and the
opportunity to experience new cultures, according to the survey.

“The survey can partly help tourism companies devise their
future tourism plans, and help local authorities continue turning Vietnam into a
more attractive tourism destination,” said Do Thi Hong Thoa, director of the
Hanoi-based Viet Traditions-Travel Services Joint Stock Company.

Truong Minh Ha, Visa’s country manager in Vietnam, Laos
and Cambodia, said that with
tourism emerging as one of Vietnam’s
key economic drivers, the survey showed where visitors to Vietnam were
coming from, their plans and what motivated them.

“This information is very useful for the Vietnamese tourism
industry to help identify opportunities and create promotional activities based
on their preferences and to attract more tourists,” Ha said.

MCST Minister Hoang Tuan Anh recently reported that in 2010 Vietnam would
be visited by over five million foreign tourists, and the number of local tourists
would be over 28 million. The industry expects total revenue this year would be
over VND85 trillion ($4.47 billion).

This means that the number of foreign tourists to Vietnam will
augment by 76 per cent against last year. Meanwhile, the World Tourism
Organization forecast that world tourism would grow by only 5-10 per cent this
year.

Source: VIR