Vietnam tourist arrivals down 76% year-on-year

From January to November, the country has received 3.82 million visitors, a decline of 76 per cent compared to 2019.

Vietnam.- The General Statistics Office has revealed visitor numbers for the year to date showing a decline of 76.6 per cent year-on-year.

The first 11 months saw 3.82 million international tourists arrive in the country. There was a month-on-month increase in arrivals in November, up 19 per cent from the previous month. But the number remained down by 99 per cent on November 2019.

Vietnam reported a record 18 million international tourist arrivals in 2019, and the country’s tourism revenue last year hit US$36 billion.

The figures caused concerns in the gaming industry as the sector strongly depends on international tourism. Most casinos in the country are not allowed to accept local bettors.

In January 2017, the Vietnamese government allowed select domestic casinos to accept bets from “economically-qualified” local gamblers for a trial three-year period. But until now the Corona Casino Resort located on the country’s southernmost island Phu Quoc has been the only property to take part in the pilot programme

From January to October, the country reported 42.5 million “domestic travellers”, according to Vietnam News Agency. The average hotel occupancy rate in October at Vietnam’s main tourist spots, Da Lat, Sam Son, Sa Pa, Ha Long and Phu Quoc, stood at around “30 to 50 percent”, Vietnam News Agency reported, adding it could reach 90 per cent at weekends.

According to the country’s Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Vietnam’s tourism industry has so far lost at least US$23bn in revenue due to disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.