Vietnam’s tourism sector has had a strong showing in November with 723,740 international arrivals, a 12.9% increase over October and 20.4% compared to the same time period last year.
The latest statistics were released by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) which was so excited about the positive numbers that it released them nearly a week before the month ended.
According to Voice of Vietnam, the strong growth can be attributed to the start of the peak season, recent visa waivers and the return of Russian and Chinese tourists.
Domestic tourism also grew this year with over 58 million Vietnamese flocking to local destinations, especially the northeast and northwest areas of the country.
2014 and early 2015 were very poor periods for tourism in Vietnam with the country posting 13 consecutive months of declining visits by international tourists.
Things got better in July when the industry showed positive growth and according to tourism minister Hoang Tuan Anh, the sector has already generated $15 billion so far this year, reports Thanh Nien.
[Photo via Noodles and Beef]
