Vietnam welcomed nearly 3.7 million international tourists in the first three months of 2020, down 18.1% from the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Foreign visitors in Hanoi capital (Photo: VNA)

The reduction was attributed to the suspension of non-essential services and tours in provinces and cities nationwide to focus on the fight against the acute respiratory disease caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

Most of the visitors arrived in Vietnam by air, accounting for over 80% of the total, a year-on-year decline of about 15%. 

Tourists from Asian markets dropped by 21.1%, Europe 3.1%, America 20.2%, and Oceania 14.4%.

Only arrivals from Africa went up by 2% compared to the same period last year.

To help the tourism industry recover after COVID-19, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proposed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc direct relevant ministries and localities to promptly provide support policies for travel businesses to reduce losses and resume tourism activities.

Earlier, the ministry sent a notice to 25 cities and provinces, including the capital city of Hanoi and the southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City, asking to select some tourism accommodations providing pay-to-stay services for Vietnamese and foreigners entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit countries who are subject to 14-day compulsory quarantine.