From January to April 2024, the total number of international visitors reached 6.2 million, representing a 68.3% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The total number of international visitors in the first four months of this year was 3.9% higher than before the pandemic, indicating a robust recovery and growth in Vietnam’s tourism market. This growth is attributed to favorable visa policies and attractive tourism stimulus programs that continue to attract a significantly higher number of international visitors to Vietnam compared to the previous year.
Out of the nearly 6.2 million international visitors to Vietnam in the past four months, 83.7% arrived by air, 13.8% by road, and 2.5% by sea. South Korea remained Vietnam’s largest source market with 1.6 million visitors (25.8%). China ranked second with 1.25 million visitors (20%), followed by Taiwan (China) in third place (418,000), the US in fourth place (301,000), and Japan in fifth place (235,000).
Asia is the leading region with a 77.2% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Notably, the major markets in Northeast Asia experienced the highest growth, including China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan (China). Furthermore, Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Singapore also saw strong growth. Only the Thai market declined by 18%. India continued to grow impressively (41.1%), and Australia increased by 37.8%.
European markets continued to grow strongly by 63.8%, thanks to the effectiveness of the open visa policy implemented on August 15, 2023. Most markets showed positive growth, including key markets like the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and others.
Meanwhile, domestic tourism in April 2024 reached 10.5 million visitors, of which approximately 7 million stayed overnight. The total number of domestic tourists in the first four months of 2024 reached 40.5 million. The total revenue from tourism in the first four months is estimated to be 271.4 trillion VND.
Revenue from accommodation and food services also showed positive growth in the first four months of 2024, estimated at 237,300 billion VND, a 15.3% increase compared to the same period last year. Several localities experienced significant growth in revenue in the first four months of 2024 compared to the same period last year: Da Nang increased by 23.2%; Quang Ninh increased by 22.3%; Hai Phong increased by 14.5%; Ho Chi Minh City increased by 12.6%; Hanoi increased by 12.5%; Can Tho increased by 9.1%.
Revenue from tourism agencies in the first four months of 2024 is estimated at 19,400 billion VND, a 49.3% increase compared to the same period last year. The list of localities with relatively high growth in tourism agency revenue compared to the same period last year includes Khanh Hoa with a 158.5% increase; Da Nang with a 98.5% increase; Binh Dinh with a 60.6% increase; Ho Chi Minh City with a 58.7% increase; Can Tho with a 57.7% increase; Hanoi with a 49.0% increase; Quang Ninh with a 16.5% increase; Binh Duong with a 14.7% increase.
According to the General Statistics Office, in some specific localities, the number of tourists visiting Hanoi in April is estimated to be 605,000, a 2.8% increase compared to the previous month and a 43.4% increase compared to the same period last year. International visitors are estimated to be 450,000, a 1.1% decrease compared to the previous month but a 60% increase compared to the same period last year; domestic tourists are estimated to be 155,000, a 15.7% increase compared to the previous month and a 10.2% increase compared to the same period last year.
In the first four months of the year, the number of tourists visiting Hanoi is estimated to be 2,147,000, a 46.5% increase compared to the same period last year. International visitors are estimated to be nearly 1,576,000, a 59.8% increase compared to the same period last year.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism also reported that in the first four months of 2024, international visitors to Ho Chi Minh City are estimated to be over 1.8 million, a 32.5% increase compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 30% of the 2024 target. Domestic tourists to Ho Chi Minh City in the first four months are estimated to be nearly 11 million, a 3.1% increase compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 28.6% of the 2024 target. Total tourism revenue in the first four months is estimated to be over 60,000 billion VND, a 17.4% increase, reaching 31.6% of the 2024 target.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Department of Tourism, said that the 2024 tourism stimulus program has been implemented, with the highlight being the second Ho Chi Minh City Water Festival in 2024 taking place in the second quarter, featuring a new theme centered around the legendary train. It will not only be a theme in the opening program but will also showcase the unique water culture. In this second quarter, the Department of Tourism will collaborate with departments, agencies, and units of the city to organize the 20th Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival, the second Water Festival, and tourism promotion activities in Germany to attract domestic and international visitors during the summer tourist season.
Along with this good news, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has announced that Guruwalk (an international community organization specializing in providing walking tours with local tour guides in cities around the world) has selected Hanoi, Hoi An (Quang Nam), and Ho Chi Minh City as three of the 100 best cities in Vietnam for walking tours. This list was compiled based on booking and search data from 800 cities in 120 countries collected on the Guruwalk website from April 2023 to April 2024.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, tourism is a comprehensive economic sector. International visitors to Vietnam are not only interested in pure tourism but also in meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, healthcare, and sports. Therefore, in addition to meeting basic needs such as food, accommodation, and transportation, the industry needs to develop more diverse products and services to stimulate visitors’ spending. The tourism industry is currently collaborating with other industries such as agriculture and industry to find ways to create products that increase visitor spending and shopping.
