Vietnam welcomed almost 5.5 million foreign tourists in the first nine
months of this year, up 9.9 percent year on year , according to the
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
In September
alone, the country attracted nearly 615,000 foreign holidaymakers, an
increase of 28.9 percent over the same period last year.
The VNAT
released the figures in Hanoi on September 26 at a ceremony to launch
activities in response to World Tourism Day 2013 (September 27), which
is an initiative of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO).
VNAT Deputy Head Nguyen Manh Cuong announced plans set
by Vietnam’s tourism sector to further promote the national tourism in
the coming time.
Almost 200 students from universities and
colleges in Hanoi are scheduled to join a bicycle riding programme to
respond the event on September 27.
Themed “Tourism
and Water: Protecting our Common Future”, this year’s event underlines
tourism’s responsibility and needed commitment to preserving the world’s
vital water resources.
It is a unique opportunity to
examine the challenges facing water management in tourism and the
measures being undertaken by the sector to protect and promote water
resources while creating benefits for local populations around water
tourism destinations.-VNA