Nhan Dan Online- The total number of international visitors to Vietnam for the past seven months is 2.6 million, 10.6% increase as compared with the same period last year, making up 52.3% of the yearly plan, according to the latest report by the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Nguyen Van Binh, an official of the VNAT said that of the international visitors to Vietnam, most of them have come from China, the Republic of Korea, the US, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia.

As compared with the same period last year, tourists from ASEAN countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines sharply increased in number. Those from European countries like Sweden, Finland and Russia also see a slight grow.

VNAT has held talks with travel agents in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh to seek ways to attract more international guests to Vietnam in the last months of the year and the next year with special attention given to markets of RoK, Japan, China and the US.

VNAT is now strengthening promotion of Tourism Year of Can Tho 2008 with theme on Mekong water tourism while working with People’s Committees of the Central Highlands to set up Tourism Year 2009 plan with subject on Green Central Highlands.

The organisation is also setting up an overall plan for the first ever organisation of ASEAN - ATF 2009 Forum and TRAVEX Fair 2009 in Vietnam which is seen as a good chance to popularise Vietnamese tourism to international guests.

D.T