VIETNAM BECOMES CHINA’S SECOND LARGEST TOURISM MARKET

The Palace Museum in Beijing, China. Photo: Reuters

Vietnam overtook South Korea to claim the second spot among the top 10 source markets for tourism in China last year.

According to statistics released late last month by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, more than 6.3 million Vietnamese tourists visited the country last year, double the figure in 2016, making Vietnam the second biggest feeder market for Chinese tourism after Myanmar.

South Korea ranked third on the list of top 10 major markets for inbound tourism in China, followed by Japan, the U.S., Russia, Mongolia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.

China, forecast to become the world’s most visited country by 2030 by global research company Euromonitor International, received a total of 141.2 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2018, up 1.2 percent from a year ago and earned $127 billion in tourism revenues.

China’s proximity to Vietnam has made it a popular destination among outbound Vietnamese travellers who want a vacation overseas without a long haul journey.

The surge in Vietnamese tourist numbers in China has been credited to the long shared border, prompting the governments of both countries to establish a special type of border travel, which does not require passports or visas.

The launch of more direct flights connecting Vietnam’s big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with China in recent years has also contributed to the growth in outbound Vietnamese travellers.

China has always been Vietnam’s main source of tourists in recent years, accounting for one-third of all foreign visitors. More than four million Chinese visitors arrived in Vietnam last year, up 48.6 percent year-on-year.

Survey results released last year by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, reveal the average daily spending by the Chinese in Vietnam increased from $118.6 in 2014 to $130 last year.

Read the full article at VN Express: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/travel/places/vietnam-becomes-china-s-second-largest-tourism-market-3903511.html

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