Vietnam earned 53.5 trillion VND (about 2.5 billion USD) from
tourism in the first three months of this year, about one third of the
sector’s total revenue in 2012, statistics from the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism show.
In the first quarter, the
sector welcomed 1.8 million foreign visitors, mostly from China, the
Republic of Korea and Japan, and 12.3 million domestic tourists.
A report from the ministry says that a wide range of
tourism activities were held during this period, particularly during the
Lunar New Year festival. In many localities, both the number of
visitors and revenue rose sharply from a year earlier.
Northern Hai Phong port city saw 13.2 percent and 22 percent
increases in visitor numbers and revenue respectively. The revenue of
northern coastal Quang Ninh province also rose by 14 percent from the
same period last year.
From April 18 to 21, the first
Vietnam International Travel Mart will take place in Hanoi to
promote domestic tourism. According to the Vietnam Tourism Association,
343 businesses have already registered to participate, with 368 stalls,
including 97 from abroad.-VNA