Vietnam could welcome 6 to 8 million foreign visitors this year if COVID-19 remains under control and international tourism could be resumed in the third quarter of this year, a webinar in Hanoi on June 10 heard.

At My Son Sanctuary in Quang Nam (Photo: VNA) 

The figure would be 4.5 to 5 million if foreign visitors are allowed to enter in the fourth quarter.

Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism  (VNAT) Nguyen Le Phuc said foreign arrivals in Vietnam reached just 3.7 million in the first five months of this year, down more than 50% year-on-year.

The number of domestic travellers in the period was only 16 million domestic visitors, down 58.5%. Tourism revenue plunged 47.4% year-on-year, to VND150.3 trillion.

As domestic tourism has resumed, the number of domestic tourists is forecasted to reach 60 to 65 million this year.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper Phung Cong Suong said that after three months of struggling with the pandemic, the domestic tourism sector is now recovering and a new programme, “Vietnamese people travel in Vietnam”, launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in early May, has helped partly revived the sector.

Representatives from Vietnam Airlines, Sun Group, Vietravel, and Flamingo told the webinar they are preparing for the recovery of the tourism sector. The national flag carrier opened domestic routes in May and June to meet demand, while travel and hospitality operators have offered discounts along with quality and new products.

General Director of the Flamingo Redtours JSC Nguyen Cong Hoan said it is a “golden time” to stimulate tourism.